Bhubaneswar, Aug 25 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that every doctor should serve at least 3 years in rural areas before getting a promotion.

"It should be made mandatory for young doctors to serve at least 3 years in rural areas before getting promotion," Naidu told the first convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar.

He said there was a need to increase the number of doctors available at healthcare centres in rural areas as the absence of qualified medical practitioners was making people approach quacks.

"We need to overcome the acute shortage of healthcare providers as also the infrastructure in rural areas," he added. Naidu also stressed on the need to increase the number of medical colleges.

The Vice President said medical education curriculum had to be constantly updated, by including the latest developments and methods of treatment.

"Doctors must be trained to be more sensitive towards the sufferings of the patients and their families and should provide the healing touch with effective communication. There can be no greater service than restoring fellow human beings to good health," he said.

Naidu said schemes such as 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana' or the National Health Protection Scheme would be a game-changer in terms of accessing healthcare services in India.

Speaking on girls' education, he said: "Who says women can do nothing? Given an opportunity they can do wonders. Girls are outperforming boys."

Speaking at the event, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the institution was growing fast and hopes rare surgeries, which are now carried out at AIIMS Delhi, would soon be conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

He said it would be a befitting tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee if his statue was installed in the premises of AIIMS here.

Notably, Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of the hospital here in 2003. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said AIIMS Bhubaneswar provided treatment to over 5 lakh patients last year.



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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has quashed an FIR registered by the Karnataka Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA R Ashoka in a land allotment corruption case.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi said the FIR shows a concerted effort on the part of the complainants to cast aspersions on the credibility of the appellant as a public leader and impute ill intention on him.

"The actions against the appellant ex-facie appear to be politically motivated and thereby afflicted by malice, even if delay was kept aside, the prosecution of the appellant could not proceed in the eyes of the law," the bench said.

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In this case, an FIR was registered by the Karnataka ACB to probe the allegations made regarding illegalities in land allotments during Ashoka's tenure as head of the Bengaluru South Taluk Bagar Hukum Land Regularisation Committee.

A complaint was filed that during his tenure, illegal allotment of government land meant for SC/ST and the poor was made to his family members, political followers and corporators.

The top court referred to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech in which he said, "The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity."

Setting aside a Karnataka High Court order that dismissed Ashoka's petition seeking quashing of the FIR against him, the apex court observed that the proceedings were initiated against Ashoka, a public servant, without obtaining a sanction order from the state government.

"Not to overextend the issue, it is seen that the record is conspicuously silent on any sanction having been obtained against the appellant. Since no investigation could have begun without such sanction, the preliminary report of the ACB, subsequent FIR and any and all proceedings thereafter have operated in the face of an express bar," the bench said.