In a major development today, the Centre has cleared the creation of 320 new medical postgraduate seats for Himachal Pradesh at a cost of over Rs 415 crore.Union Minister and former BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda announced that the development would give a boost to medical education in Himachal Pradesh.He said the Central Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the proposal for 320 additional postgraduate (PG) medical seats across six government medical colleges in the state.The Government of India will provide approximately Rs 415 crore as a grant for this significant initiative.Nadda said the decision was in line with several past moves to strengthen medical education and healthcare over the past 12 years.”As part of these efforts, the Central Government approved a Rs 15,000 crore scheme to add 10,000 new medical seats across the country over five years. Himachal Pradesh would benefit significantly from this initiative, with all 320 proposed PG medical seats receiving Central Government approval,” Nadda said.The health minister gave a college-wise distribution, saying 91 seats had been approved for the IGMC, Shimla, 57 for Government Medical College, Hamirpur, 55 for Nerchowk Medical College in Mandi, 57 for Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, 32 for Government Medical College, Nahan, and 28 for Government Medical College, Chamba.Nadda said that the Himachal Pradesh Government had submitted its proposal 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 Central Government has now approved all 320 proposed seats.Nadda said the additional seats would strengthen specialised medical services, including surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, oncology and other critical medical disciplines.He emphasised that the initiative would create greater opportunities for medical graduates to pursue postgraduate education while improving access to specialised healthcare services closer to people’s homes.Nadda urged the Himachal Pradesh Government to complete all necessary administrative and regulatory formalities without delay to ensure the timely creation and operationalisation of these 320 seats.He also expressed concern over delays in other centrally supported development projects, particularly the construction of Critical Care Blocks and Public Health Laboratories, and called upon the state government to accelerate their implementation.Referring to railway infrastructure, Nadda highlighted pending issues relating to the state’s financial contribution and land availability for the Chandigarh-Baddi and Bhanupalli–Bilaspur railway projects.He stressed that development projects directly benefiting the public must not suffer unnecessary delays because of pending administrative or financial decisions.”The Central Government remains fully committed to extending every possible assistance for the development of Himachal Pradesh. Our priority is clear: the development of Himachal Pradesh, greater opportunities for its youth and the welfare of every family,” Nadda said.He added that while the Central Government was fulfilling its responsibilities with determination, the state government must demonstrate equal commitment to ensuring the effective and timely implementation of development projects.