State budget boost for Beed: 360-bed hospital and nursing college approved

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The state budget on Friday approved the construction of a new 360-bed hospital, a nursing college, and a dedicated hostel as part of the Civil Hospital's expansion in Beed. The budget also cleared the decks for a comprehensive master plan to modernise the Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Medical College (SRTRMC) in Ambajogai. Established in 1975, SRTRMC holds the distinction of being the first rural medical college in India. The proposed development will include a new super-specialty building to upgrade its existing medicine, pediatric, and ICU units.Vinod Muluk, vice-president of the Beed Municipal Council, credited late deputy chief minister and guardian minister Ajit Pawar with spearheading the initiative. "Developing the health sector in Beed has been a priority for Ajit Dada. This budget provides the necessary financial backbone to fulfill the vision of providing state-of-the-art medical facilities to our rural population," Muluk said.The move follows a high-level meeting chaired by Pawar in August last year, where he directed the authorities to transform the Ambajogai institution into a model government facility, promising that funds would not be a constraint for the historic college's capacity-building efforts.Beed added to ‘aspirational districts' listThe budget also brought significant news for regional development, as Beed was officially included in the state's "aspirational districts and blocks" programme. It is joined by three other Marathwada districts — Jalna, Hingoli, and Parbhani — along with Palghar and Dhule. This inclusion brings the total number of districts under the targeted development scheme to 10, joining Dharashiv, Nandurbar, Washim, and Gadchiroli. The programme aims to fast-track growth through focused administrative and financial interventions in socio-economic indicators.