Parliament passes bill for more AIIM-like medical institutes

Amid the continued din by the opposition in Parliament demanding resignation of the prime minister over allocation of coal-mining blocks, the government has squeezed through two bills – one allowing the government to set up more state-financed medical institutes and another for regulating chemical weapons in line with international conventions.

Both bills were passed by a voice vote even as the opposition continued its clamour over 'coalgate'.

The chemical weapons bill was of small significance to India, which has no interest in chemical weapons and was bound to ratify any international treaty in this regard.

But the enactment allowing the union government to set up more institutes on the lines of the respected All-India Institute of Medical Sciences could well raise hackles and increase suspicions that the government is trying to control medical education.

The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2012, will replace an ordinance which allowed six AIIMS-like institutes to become operational from 15 September.

The bill also confers powers upon the union government to establish AIIMS-like institutions by notification in the official gazette.