Mahanadi Coalfields Limited chairman AN Sahay (left) signs a MoU with health secretary PK Mohapatra for establishment of a medical college and hospital in Angul on Monday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, March 3: The BJD government today announced a few more sops ahead of the poll season to woo women and youth’s self-help groups, medical house surgeons and ayurveda, homeopathic and unani (ayush) doctors.

The government promised to two per cent concession in interest on loans given to women self-help groups during the period between 2013-2017. To help nearly 5.90 lakh self-help groups, the state will incur an expenditure of Rs 230.55 crore.

As part of the Mission Shakti programme of the state government, women self-help groups get liberal funding from financial institutions. About one lakh such women’s groups have been formed across the state.

The government has also decided to provide more funds for 10,000 youth groups in the state.

House surgeons working in government hospitals who have been demanding an increase in their monthly stipend were also obliged. Their stipend amount has been hiked from Rs 13,335 to Rs 15,000, said health minister Damodar Rout.

All house surgeons, who have been working since 2013-14, will be entitled to get the revised stipend. The revised rate will be in force for the coming three years, said Rout.

The salary of ayurvedic, homeopathic and unani (ayush) doctors who had been demanding parity with allopathic doctors was also revised. About 1,500 ayush doctors will now get Rs 17,000 per month instead of Rs 12,000 at present. The salary revision will be effective from April, said health minister Rout.

Yesterday evening, the state government had announced 10 per cent additional dearness allowance for its employees with retrospective effect from January this year. Official sources said 3.5 lakh working and another 1.5 lakh state government employees would be benefited from the allowance hike. The state government would have to bear an additional annual expenditure of Rs 900 crore on this count.

Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said the government had taken these decisions ahead of polls only to influence the voters.

Angul hospital

The government today signed a MoU with Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) for establishment of a medical college and hospital at Talcher in Angul.

The MCL will establish a 500-bed hospital and a medical college with 100 seats for MBBS at an approximate cost of Rs 400 crore.

The MCL plans to complete the project by 2016.

The state government will provide 20 acres free of cost to the MCL for this purpose. The Angul district administration has already identified land for the project.

The MoU was signed today by chairman-cum-managing director of the MCL A.N. Sahay and state health secretary P.K. Mohapatra in presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik and health minister Damodar Rout.

Naveen appealed to other central public sector undertakings operating in the state to come forward to set up more medical college-cum-hospitals in other parts of the state.