The Administrative Council (AC) of Jammu & Kashmir approved a proposal for establishment of a 100-seat Government Medical College (GMC) at Udhampur. The project is expected to be completed in 2024-25.

The decision for the medical college project has been taken at a meeting of the council on Friday, under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha.

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The meeting was attended by Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor.

Earlier, two new government medical colleges at Kupwara and Udhampur were sanctioned to be built at a cost of Rs. 325.00 crore each, under a Centrally sponsored scheme of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The upcoming medical college at Udhampur will raise the doctor-patient ratio in Union Territory with the corresponding increase in the intake capacity of MBBS students.

This will cater to the ever-increasing patient load on the medical system, and bring improvement in the medical services at the secondary level of treatment in the region.

Availability of quality medical services at the district headquarters will also reduce the response time for medical emergencies, trauma, minimise inconvenience to the patients and medical professionals, decrease IMR, MMR, and increase the life expectancy.

During the meeting, the AC has also cleared the Jammu and Kashmir Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Rules, 2022 under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019. The Act provides for a comprehensive mechanism to check unregulated deposits and protect the interests of depositors.

The Act puts a ban on the promotion, operation and advertisement of unregulated deposit schemes which lead to fraudulent default in the repayment and return of deposit amount on maturity. A prize chit or a money circulation scheme is also banned under the provisions of the Act.

The Jammu and unregulated deposit schemes rules make provisions of powers and duties of the competent authority under the Act, the powers that are vested while conducting investigation or inquiry; powers relating to absconding persons; power to seize properties; power to appoint legal practitioner and others; power of Government to empanel agencies for forensic or digital audit, valuation or sale of assets; valuation reports to be obtained while releasing properties attached; and ceiling for Self Help Groups.

The AC has also sanctioned the transfer of administrative control of two B.Sc Nursing Colleges of Jammu and Srinagar to the Health and Medical Education Department.