The National Medical Commission (NMC) has rejected the State government’s proposal to set up new government medical colleges – Ramanagara Institute of Medical Sciences in Ramanagara, Kanakapura Institute of Medical Sciences in Kanakapura of Bengaluru South district, and Bagalkot Institute of Medical Science in Bagalkote district.

The main reasons cited are the non-appointment of necessary human resources, including teaching and non-teaching faculties and non-development of other infrastructure, including buildings.

The Medical Education Department has now decided to complete the recruitment process as early as possible and submit a proposal to the NMC for permission to set up these three colleges by October 2026.

Four years of effort

After the previous BJP government transferred the government medical college sanctioned for Kanakapura to Chikkaballapur, the Congress government that came to power in 2023 has been making efforts to build a government medical college in Kanakapura.

The government had planned to build a government medical college in the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) campus in Ramanagara in 2023-24, but it was transferred to Kanakapura.

In the wake of strong opposition, the State government had announced that it would start two government medical colleges separately in Ramanagara and Kanakapura.

The government decided to start medical colleges in Ramanagara in collaboration with the district hospital and in Kanakapura in collaboration with the taluk hospital, and submitted a proposal to the NMC. However, the government’s proposal was rejected because the necessary staff had not been appointed.

The same thing happened in 2024-25. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, then the Deputy Chief Minister, had directed that permission be obtained for the medical colleges in 2025-26 after the necessary staff recruitment and basic facilities were completed.

However, the NMC again rejected the State government’s request.

Due to this setback, the State government took a decision in the Cabinet meeting to open a medical college only in Kanakapura, and the government has already started the construction work.

Meanwhile, the construction work of the new campus of RGUHS near Archakarahalli in Ramanagara at a cost of about ₹600 crore is in full swing, and 70% of the work has been completed. The government had taken steps to start a new government medical college using the district hospital.

The building work in Bagalkote has been completed and is awaiting inauguration.

However, due to various reasons, including the implementation of internal reservation, the State government has not yet recruited the necessary human resources for the start of these colleges.

“The NMC has not given permission for the opening of medical colleges in Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Bagalkot districts this year as well. The main reason for this is that direct posts have not been recruited. The State government has recently given permission for new recruitments. The recruitment process will be completed soon and a proposal will be submitted to the NMC again by October 2026. By this time, the construction work of the medical college being constructed at the new campus of RGUHS in Ramanagara is also expected to be completed,” said Dr. B.L. Sujatha Rathod, Director, Directorate of Medical Education.

She said that as per the State budget announcement, proposals are also being prepared for the opening of new medical colleges in Puttur of Dakshina Kannada District, Kolar and Vijayapura districts.

The Hindu Bureau New Delhi 
The Delhi government has approved projects worth over ₹1,000 crore to strengthen water management, sewage treatment and water supply systems under its Mission Yamuna initiative, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated on Sunday.

The package includes new rainwater harvesting structures and the restoration of existing ones to improve groundwater recharge and water security.

The Delhi Jal Board will “appoint four groundwater experts and 10 rainwater harvesting social mobilisers to support implementation,” read the CMO statement.

A major trunk sewer line from Amichand Chowk to the Old Kalyanpuri sewage pumping station in Trilokpuri will be revamped at a cost of nearly ₹57 crore. The over-40-year-old line has suffered repeated cave-ins and technical faults, it added.

The government has also cleared the upgrade of Phase I of the Keshopur sewage treatment plant from 12 million gallons per day (MGD) to 18 MGD at an estimated cost of ₹122 crore. The project aims to ensure treated water meets the latest standards and is reused more effectively.

“In addition, an underground reservoir of 0.72 MGD and a booster pumping station will be built in Shahdara’s Rohtas Nagar at a cost of about ₹27 crore,” said the CMO.

The government has also approved the installation of 12 decentralised sewage treatment plants in Najafgarh under the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme. Estimated at around ₹860 crore, the plants will have a combined treatment capacity of 46.5 MGD and are expected to reduce untreated waste flowing into the Yamuna through the Najafgarh drain.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government’s priority is to improve civic infrastructure and ensure sustainable use of water resources in the city. “These initiatives will directly benefit lakhs of citizens and give fresh impetus to the resolve of making Delhi a clean, green and water-secure Capital,” she stated.

Power after eight years

Ms. Gupta also met 36 families from Harsh Vihar’s A-3 block who are in the process of getting electricity connections after eight years, said Ms. Gupta’s office. “Electrification work has been completed, and the process of installing electricity meters for eligible applicants is under way. Most demand notes have already been issued,” the statement read.

Ms. Gupta said residents had raised the issue during a public grievance hearing, informing her that many families in the area had been waiting for regular power connections since 2018.

“Coordination was established among stakeholders concerned, and land for installing a transformer was made available,” the statement added.

The Tamil Nadu government has been continuously urging the Union government to approve the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro Rail projects, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said on Tuesday.

In his Interim Budget speech, he said that when the State requested the Centre’s approval of the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the two projects, the Union government returned the proposals, stating that they were not approved since the populations of Coimbatore and  Madurai were less than 20 lakh. 

The Minister said the State government had given in-principle approval for three extension projects — Chennai airport to Kilambakkam,  Koyambedu to Pattabiram, and Poonamallee to Sunguvarchathiram — and recommended them to the Union government for approval and financial assistance. The administrative sanction for the preliminary work was also given, he added.

The work on developing a bus terminal with an integrated multi-modal transport hub and an office complex on the site of the Broadway bus stand was under way at an estimated cost of ₹823 crore. He said the Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project was progressing well.