The upper house of Parliament turned into a platform for critical national issues on Monday, with sharp critiques on AIIMS Raebareli’s stalled progress and farmer suicides in Maharashtra. Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari led the charge, decrying the institute’s inability to serve patients fully despite more than 12 years since its launch.
Detailing the shortages, Tiwari noted the bed count slashed from 960 to 610, with senior residents at a mere 37 out of 200 posts and professors numbering only 7 against 33 vacancies. This understaffing, he argued, hampers both patient care and medical education in the region. Linking it to its UPA-era foundation in 2013 under Sonia Gandhi’s influence, he alleged deliberate neglect fueled by political animosity, evidenced by the recent budget’s silence on funding.
Shifting focus, NCP MP Rajani Ashokrao Patil highlighted the tragedy in Beed, where 250+ farmer suicides have occurred this year amid similar crises across Marathwada districts. ‘Farmers drown in small loan interests while big borrowers flee abroad unscathed,’ she lamented, advocating for MSP legal backing to shield cultivators from vagaries of weather and markets.
As debates rage, these voices amplify calls for non-partisan approaches to bolster healthcare and agriculture, sectors vital to India’s growth story. The government faces mounting pressure to address these gaps before they escalate into larger crises.