Assam: Amit Shah inaugurates healthcare projects; slams IYC's shirtless protest, says Opposition 'defames India'

Addressing the gathering, Shah said the programme is important not only for Assam but for the entire Northeast.

"About ten years ago, the condition of healthcare services across the Northeast was very poor. The opposition party that remained in power for years never cared about the health of the people, except for the financial health of their own families," Shah said.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Shah said that since CM Sarma succeeded in bringing the state's healthcare system on par with developed states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. A large number of government hospitals have been constructed in the state, several medical colleges have been established, and priority has been given to setting up government medical colleges so that children from poor families can also pursue medical education.

In addition, hospitals equipped with the most advanced facilities in the country have been built to treat various critical diseases.

He said that Assam CM has also mobilised the strength of society along with the government in carrying out these initiatives.

Shah said that once in Delhi, he had told the Tata Group, as chairman, late Ratan Tata that the long waiting list for cancer treatment at the cancer hospital of AIIMS was not a good situation for the country.

Shah said that he had given Ratan Tata a list of 13 places in the country from where cancer patients travel to Delhi for their treatment. He said that it is a matter of great satisfaction that the Tata Trust has rendered a major service to cancer patients by establishing cancer hospitals at all those 13 locations. He further said that no government hospital in the country currently has a facility for Proton Therapy, an extremely advanced and expensive treatment technology.

However, Assam is set to become the first state in the country to provide Proton Therapy in a government hospital, with an investment of Rs 400 crore. He said that under the double-engine government, Assam has become a major hub for critical healthcare services, including cancer treatment.

Shah added that it is very important for the country to have a comprehensive system of medical education, research and development, and to provide a platform where our children can conduct research on every kind of critical disease and serve patients not only in India but across the world.

Shah inaugurated the Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, Rs 675 crore, Golaghat Cancer Centre, Rs 135 crore, Tinsukia Cancer Centre, Rs 135 crore, Diphu Medical College and Hospital, Rs 220 crore, Barpeta Medical College and Hospital, Rs 284 crore, and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Rs 310 crore. Foundation stones were laid for Six Mile Swasthya Bhavan, Rs 218 crore and Abhayapuri District Hospital, Rs 115 crore.

He added that even before completing his tenure, the Chief Minister had accomplished the task of making Assam self-reliant in the healthcare sector.

Shah said Assam CM aims to make Assam self-reliant in healthcare, ensuring no patient needs to travel outside the state for treatment, while also providing care to poor patients from Bengal and other Northeastern states. He highlighted the expansion of healthcare facilities across Barak Valley, Upper, Central, and Lower Assam, eliminating the need to travel to Chennai, Mumbai, Karnataka, or Delhi. He noted that under the current government, Assam's health budget has more than doubled from Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 9,000 crore, medical colleges have increased from six to fourteen, with ten more planned, and medical seats have risen from 726 to 1,825.

Shah highlighted that Assam offers governemnt good salaries to medical college professors, encouraging MD graduates to pursue teaching. He noted cancer care hospitals have risen from two to seventeen and pointed out that while Ayushman Bharat was launched nationally, Assam now has its own state health insurance scheme introduced by CM Sarma.

Shah said the Assam Government uses CSR funds to cover costly medical treatments, ensuring poor patients bear no expenses. He highlighted the state's approach: enabling poor children to become doctors, providing proper healthcare, protecting family earnings, and preventing medical debt.

He added that this is the kind of governance approach that should be followed, and it has been implemented here by the present government.

Shah further added, PM Modi has opened new opportunities for India's youth in sectors like space, green hydrogen, green energy, AI, 5G/6G, electronics, and semiconductor areas that will shape the global economy for the next 25 years. Assam now hosts its first Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor plant, with engineering college seats shifted from civil and chemical to these emerging fields.

Shah criticised the opposition, saying they had neglected healthcare in the Northeast. He also accused Congress of "defaming" the country as he tore into the opposition over their youth wing's shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Shah said PM Modi hosted the world's largest AI summit in Delhi, attended by CEOs from 80 countries and 22 heads of state, featuring MoUs, training programs, and R&D collaborations, but the opposition workers tried to defame India by protesting half-naked at the event.

He added that, having been in the opposition himself, he knows protests have a time and place, and this was inappropriate as global leaders had come to see India and invest. Shah criticised the opposition leader for calling the protesters his "Babbar Sher," calling it shameless and saying no responsible political party supports such behaviour.

Home Minister condemned Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's actions during a protest at Makar Dwar in Parliament over the LPG shortage, accusing the latter of "defaming" the country and its institutions.

On March 12, Rahul Gandhi joined a protest at the Makar Dwar entrance to Parliament. Photos and videos went viral showing him casually sharing tea and snacks with colleagues.

He added that the opposition leader sometimes sits at the gates of Parliament eating tea and pakoras and doesn't seem to know the appropriate place for breakfast.

Shah said, "Parliament is the supreme institution of our democracy, and even holding a dharna there is not right, but going two steps beyond a dharna defames India and our democracy in the eyes of the world."

He strongly condemned both incidents that took place today under the direction and direct participation of the opposition leader, saying no youth in the country will support this kind of activism.

"The opposition may oppose as much as they can, but by avoiding speaking in Parliament, they have diminished opportunities for the world to witness India's strength and the capability of its youth. The people of India will never forgive the opposition leader," he stated. (ANI)