NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has decided to shortly introduce reservation in treatment of patients as well.
To begin with this would be started in the proposed Shahuji Maharaj Super-Speciality Medical Institute to be built in the state capital Lucknow.
The announcement came at the foundation laying ceremony of the institute, which was interestingly done in Maharashtra on Friday.
Mayawati was in Kohlapur on a three-day visit to participate in the week-long Shahuji Maharaj birth centenary celebrations.
A former ruler of Kohlapur, Shahuji was the pioneer of the reservation policy in India when he introduced reservation for downtrodden classes in his kingdom in the year 1902, well before Babasaheb Ambedkar had conceived the idea in the Indian Constitution.
A statement issued on behalf of Mayawati said, "The hospital would have 20 per cent reservation to ensure free treatment to the downtrodden castes and the poor."
It said, "While 10 per cent of the beds would be reserved for free treatment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, five per cent would be reserved for backward castes and minorities and five per cent for poor belonging to the upper castes."
According to an official spokesman of the state government, the foundation stone of the proposed medical institute was laid in Kolhapur 'only because of the on-going centenary celebrations'.
"The stone is now being brought to Lucknow in the chief minister's aircraft and would be laid at the site earmarked for the Institute near the Lucknow district jail," he said.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
