HYDERABAD: The Assembly on Friday witnessed heated arguments between the treasury and Opposition benches during the debate on health and
education sectors. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka came down heavily on the BRS government for opening government hospitals and educational institutions for the sake of numbers but not providing adequate staff and infrastructure for their effective functioning.
Bhatti said that the Budget being allotted by the state government for the health and education sectors was meagre when compared with other states due to which the people from poorer sections were unable to access quality health and education in public sector.
Bhatti also expressed anger at the government's delay in clearing fee reimbursement arrears of students due to which the poor students were harassed by college management.
Health minister T. Harish Rao strongly refuted the charges and dared Bhatti to visit any government hospital to see for himself whether there were adequate staff or infrastructure.
Harish Rao said the government hospitals in Mulug and Sangareddy constituencies, which are represented by Congress MLAs, were upgraded by the BRS government and over 100 doctors were appointed.
AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi questioned the discrimination between minority and non-minority medical colleges in the percentage of seats allotted for meritorious students under the A-category.
Owaisi said in minority colleges, 60 per cent of seats were provided under A-category for which the fee is ₹60,000 per year against 50 per cent in non-minority colleges. "Due to this anomaly, meritorious students in non-minority colleges were losing out on 10 per cent of seats. They are forced to take admissions in B-category seats for which the fees is ₹13 lakhs to ₹14 lakhs per year.
Unable to bear this fee, several BC, SC, ST and minority students are avoiding MBBS courses. This should be rectified."
