Punjab allots budget for 16 new medical colleges and 9 libraries

Harpal Singh Cheema, the finance minister for Punjab, made a number of announcements during his budget speech on Monday, including a grant of Rs 200 crore to Punjabi University Patiala, the opening of 16 new medical schools over the next five years, and numerous scholarships.

Presenting the Bhagwant Mann government's first budget came to power in March this year, the finance minister said, “Punjabi University, Patiala, initially mandated primarily to develop and promote our mother-tongue Punjabi has evolved as a multidisciplinary educational system. However, it has become a victim of mismanagement in the past and so to revive this University, I allocate Rs 200 crore in FY 2022-23 to tide over the ongoing financial crisis.”

Cheema stated that "the state doesn't want medical students to go to countries like Ukraine to study medicine" and that they "commit to give the greatest medical education eco-system in the state" amid the protest by Ukraine-returned medical students demanding admission in India medical colleges.

To accomplish this, the administration proposed building 16 additional medical colleges, bringing the total number of medical schools in the State to 25, during the course of the following five years.

Additionally, he suggested allocating Rs 30 crore in FY 2022–23 for infrastructure improvements in the libraries of Government Colleges in nine districts: Tarn Taran, Barnala, Ludhiana, Fazilka, Malerkotla, Moga, Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.