Ruling out his return to Jammu and Kashmir politics, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that he has a greater responsibility now to serve the people of the country.
"There is no question of returning to state politics, let others perform the job now," he said yesterday addressing a felicitation function organised by a group of lawyers here.
"Some people in Delhi used to say that the political soil in Jammu and Kashmir was barren, but it is not so," he said, adding "the fact is that the political soil of the state is very fertile and there needs a specialist to sow, irrigate and reap the harvest."
"It is very important to read the weather conditions or in other words to feel the pulse of the people. I had come here for soil testing and came out with a great experience," Azad, who remained state chief minister for about two and a half years, said.
Azad said that his ministry has cleared all the pending files related to medical colleges and also gave concessions for taking up these projects, including with public-private partnership.
Besides, the ministry has taken short-term, medium-term and long-term measures to ensure presence of doctors in rural areas of the country, Azad said.
Instructions have been issued to state governments to appoint doctors in rural and remote areas on contractual basis and provide them salary three times more than the amount paid by the respective state governments under Rural Health Mission Programme, he said.
While, to meet the shortage of specialised doctors in rural and semi-urban areas, immediate measures have been taken to appoint nearly 5,000 doctors, he said.
He said 50 per cent seats in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) would be reserved for those who serve for three years in the far-flung areas. Also, 10 per cent marks would be reserved in viva for those MD doctors who serve one year in rural areas, he said, adding the marks will be increased with their tenure.
On the occasion, several lawyers, media persons and social activists were honoured by lawyers forum headed by former President of Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ) B S Slathia.
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