The Centre on Friday approved the creation of 320 new postgraduate (PG) medical seats across six medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh at a cost of over Rs 415 crore. Union Health Minister and former BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda announced the decision.Giving the college-wise break-up, Nadda said 91 seats had been approved for Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla; 57 for Government Medical College, Hamirpur; 55 for Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Nerchowk (Mandi); 57 for Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda; 32 for Government Medical College, Nahan; and 28 for Government Medical College, Chamba. The Centre would provide around Rs 415 crore as a grant for the initiative.The decision was in line with a series of measures taken over the past 12 years to strengthen medical education and healthcare infrastructure, Nadda said. “As part of these efforts, the Centre approved a Rs 15,000-crore scheme to add 10,000 new medical seats across the country over five years. Himachal Pradesh stands to benefit significantly, with all 320 proposed PG medical seats receiving approval,” he said.The Himachal Pradesh Government had submitted a proposal for the new PG seats on June 23. Subsequently, during the convocation ceremony at AIIMS-Bilaspur on October 6, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu discussed the matter with Nadda. The Centre has now approved all 320 proposed seats.The additional seats would help strengthen specialised medical services, including surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, oncology and other critical disciplines, the minister said.Nadda urged the state government to complete the necessary administrative and regulatory formalities without delay to ensure the timely creation and operationalisation of the seats.He also expressed concern over delays in other centrally supported projects, particularly the construction of Critical Care Blocks and Public Health Laboratories, and called on the state government to expedite their implementation.Referring to railway infrastructure projects, Nadda flagged pending issues related to the state’s financial contribution and land availability for the Chandigarh-Baddi and Bhanupalli-Bilaspur rail lines.He said projects that directly benefit the public should not suffer due to administrative or financial delays.