Azad slams electronic media for not propagating UPA`s policies

Patiala: Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday criticised the electronic media for not propagating UPA government`s family welfare and health programmes on their channels.

He said a sum of Rs 260 crore will be spent on publicity of health and family welfare programmes on Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR). "Our country is having more than 800 channels and not a single channel has been airing our policies and programme," he said. The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister said, "Channels have been airing small to small incident and they do not bother to broadcast government`s policies even though they are for benefit of people." Azad said,"We have to give advertisements to the media to spread awareness about programmes related to health and family welfare". He was addressing a gathering after laying foundation stone of upgrade of a government medical college here with a cost of Rs 150 crore. The government has decided to upgrade 39 medical colleges/institutions in the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), at an approved cost of Rs 150 crore (Central contribution Rs 120 crore and state share-Rs 30 crore) for each institution, he said. He said,"in the second phase, we have upgraded government medical college at Amritsar and now in third phase, we have taken Patiala medical college for upgradation. Azad said the upgradation programme broadly envisaged improving health infrastructure through construction of 18 super speciality blocks. "Rs 90 crore are to be spent on infrastructure and Rs 60 crore on equipment," he said. When asked to respond on Keshav Desiraju`s transfer from the post of Health Secretary, Azad refused to comment, saying that it was an internal matter of the ministry. In a recent reshuffle, the Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Keshav Desiraju was transferred to Consumer`s affairs ministry.