Kathua: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, announced the initiation of North India’s first Government Homoeopathic College in Jasrota, district Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir. The centrally funded project, estimated at Rs. 80 Crore, aims to bolster healthcare and education in the region.
During his visit to the proposed site, where the boundary wall construction has commenced, Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the project. The Homoeopathic College, spread over more than 8 acres, will include a hospital complex, college, administrative block, and separate hostels for male and female students. The expansive premises will also have provisions for an auditorium, playground, and more.
Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the significance of the institution, stating that it not only fulfills the aspirations of Homoeopathy enthusiasts in North India but also aligns with the government’s healthcare strategy, integrating allopathic and Ayush streams, including Homoeopathy, Ayurveda, and naturopathy.
The minister emphasized that the experience post-COVID has reinforced the importance of traditional Indian methods of medicine. Kathua, already equipped with a government medical college and a cancer treatment facility from Tata Memorial Centre, is poised to become a comprehensive and cost-effective healthcare center in North India.
Addressing critics who deny development in the region, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the establishment of three centrally funded medical colleges in the last decade and the introduction of Vande Bharat trains with stoppages in Udhampur and Kathua. He also mentioned the upcoming Express Road Corridor, which will reduce travel time from Kathua to Delhi to around four and a half hours.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, who has focused on developmental projects in the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency, outlined a vision for the next five years, emphasizing the consolidation of gains and the region’s development as North India’s prime destination for education, trade, tourism, and revenue.