There is a great scope of Petro-professionals in India, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology (CIPET) on Thursday in Jaipur.

He said Petrochemical industry was one of the most rapidly developing industries in the country and India needed a lot of skilled manpower. In Rajasthan alone, Rs 70,000 crore would be spent in the Barmer Refinery, the PM stated.

“Rajasthan’s new institute of petrochemicals will bring new opportunities in this field for hundreds of youngsters every year,” Narendra Modi while dedicating the CIPET to the nation. He also recalled his time as the chief minister of Gujarat, when he started Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in Gandhinagar.

“Many people laughed at us when we were working on the concept of a petroleum university in Gujarat. But we didn’t drop this idea. In very less time, PDPU has shown what it is capable of. Students from all over the country want to study here. Now, it has become Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU),” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also laid foundation stone of a medical college each in Banswara, Dausa, Hanumangarh and Sirohi districts of the state. He said it was important that medical colleges or even super-speciality hospitals should spread their network rapidly to every nook and corner of the country.

“Today we can say with satisfaction that India is moving beyond 6 AIIMS to a strong network of more than 22 AIIMS”, he said. In the last 6-7 years, more than 170 new medical colleges have been set up and rapid work is going on with more than 100 new medical colleges.

In 2014, the total seats of medical undergraduates and postgraduates in the country were about 82000. Today their number has increased to 140,000. In the field of regulation and governance also, the Prime Minister said that with the advent of the National Medical Commission, problems and questions of the past have been addressed.

He said skilled manpower associated with healthcare has a direct impact on effective health services. This was keenly felt in the corona period. The success of the central government’s ‘Free vaccine, vaccine for all’ campaign is a reflection of this. Today, more than 88 crore doses of the corona vaccine have been administered in India, the Prime Minister said.