From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Aug 16: The Karnataka Government has suggested three places including Bangalore for setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The Union Health Ministry will select one place depending upon its merit and proximity to people, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said in Bangalore on Saturday.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, who is on his first visit to Bangalore after becoming the minister, said one of the conditions put by the union government was to provide at least 200 acres of land to establish AIIMS.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written suggesting three places, the minister said.

The health ministry would initiate the process soon.

Details will be examined and will be made known to the State government soon, he said.

''All the processes are under observation. We will strictly go by merit and select a place which is easily accessible to all people,” he said.

The minister said his ministry had also received a proposal to consider the state-of-the-hospital built in Gulbarga and managed by the Employees State Insurance for the AIIMS.

There had been a request to run it through the health ministry instead of by the ESI, he indicated.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said he was also in favour of a Common Entrance Test (CET) for the whole country in the interest of student community.

A petition was pending before the Supreme Court and the Union Government was persuing it.

Having single CET for the entire country would eliminate both direct and indirect ways of corruption and the menace of capitation fee, he said.

The government was optimistic that the apex court will give a favourable decision in the interest of poor and meritorious students.

On delays in admission process to professional courses, the minister felt there should be a definite guidelines so that everyone had to take this as a wake-up call well in advance.

Unfortunately, many medical colleges donot take it seriously. Need of the hour was to have more number of medical colleges but with quality.

The union health ministry was in the process of removing unnecessary bottlenecks which have come in the way of coming up good medical colleges across the country. This would address the problem of severe shortage of doctors, he added.