Bhubaneswar, April 4: The state government today decided to complete two of the five medical colleges in the first phase.

Chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi today reviewed the progress of the colleges that are coming up in Koraput, Balangir, Baripada, Balasore and Puri.

It was decided today that the projects in Koraput and Baripada would be completed first.

The Naveen Patnaik government also asked the works department to assess the requirements of the five medical colleges to be set up in the state under the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana and draw up the final estimate.

The government has earmarked Rs 189 crore for each college. The Centre will fund 60 per cent of the project cost, while the state government will bear the rest 40 per cent, under the scheme.

Official sources said land allotment had been made for all the five medical college projects and the civil construction had started.

While the Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) is executing the medical college projects in Puri, Balasore and Baripada, Shapoorji and Pallonji Group is looking after the projects in Koraput and Balangir.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the colleges at Koraput, Balangir, Baripada and Balasore. On December 22, he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to release the central government's share of funds for the projects.

"A revised estimate of Rs 2,450.90 crore for the five proposed medical colleges has been submitted to the ministry of health for capital expenditure, equipment and manpower. The response of the ministry is awaited," Naveen wrote in his letter to Modi.

"Admission to the new medical colleges for the MBBS students is scheduled to start from 2017-18. My government, on its part, has made adequate budget provision for the project despite financial crunch," Naveen had said.

The chief minister's earlier request to Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in September for release of funds too had yielded no result.

The Union government had released Rs 55 crore only in three instalments by December last year.

The Biju Janata Dal had decided to raise the issue of non-release of the central share during the ongoing budget session of the Assembly.