Fill vacancies in 20 IIMs: Vijayasai

New Delhi: YSRCP Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy appealed to the government to fill 60 per cent BC, SC quota posts in 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the country. He said 80 per cent of ST category posts are vacant in IITs .

Participating in a discussion on IIM Bill in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Vijayasai Reddy said that of the total 1,500 sanctioned posts in various IIMs, 500 posts fell vacant. The Central government had failed to allocate sufficient budget for the IIMs, he pointed out. Expressing surprise over cut in budget for IIMs, the MP said while Rs 654 crore was allocated for IIMs in 2022-23, it was reduced to Rs 608 crore during 2023-24 financial year.

The MP also appealed for allocation of 3 per cent in GDP for armed forces. Participating in a discussion on Inter Services Organisations Bill on Tuesday, the MP expressed concern over reduction in budget allocations for military. He said that the expenditure on army came down to 13.2 per cent during 2023-4 from 17.8 per cent during 2016-17. He said that the military budget should be fixed and should not be reduced.

Meanwhile, Union minister of state for health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said the family doctor concept is functioning well in Andhra Pradesh. She said both the Andhra Pradesh government under YSR health scheme and Central government’s Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogyasri Yojana health coverage were provided to 61.47 lakh families. The union minister said that 1,60,816 Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centres started functioning in the country by July 31, 2023.