Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting her to include in the forthcoming budget a State's proposal for the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raichur district.

Sitharaman is slated to present the interim budget on February one.

"Raichur is an aspirational district, coming under Kalyana Karnataka region, where healthcare, education and per capita income levels are still subpar as compared to other regions of Karnataka. Raichur district is in an urgent need to establish a high quality referral medical centre," Siddaramaiah said in his January 29 letter.

Noting that the proposal of establishing an AIIMS in Karnataka is pending for quite some time, he said, "the State Government, on consideration of possible locations, is of the view that Raichur is the most suitable place to establish an AIIMS. I would, therefore, request you to include the establishment of AIIMS at Raichur in the forthcoming Budget of 2024-25." The Chief Minister has also enclosed a copy of his letter dated June 17, 2023 addressed to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh L Mandaviya, in this regard.

Raichur has witnessed persistent agitations led by various organisations and advocacy groups, emphasising the "crucial need" for an AIIMS in the region.

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