Chennai, Jan 12 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated 11 government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu.
Modi virtually inaugurated the colleges. He also opened the new building of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) here.
The new medical colleges have come up at Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Ramanathapuram and Krishnagiri districts in the state and would have a cumulative capacity of 1,450 medical seats.
The government had earlier said establishment of these medical colleges was in line with the prime minister's constant endeavour to promote affordable medical education and improve health infrastructure in all parts of the country.
The new colleges have been set up under the centrally-sponsored scheme of establishing new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospital.
Over 1.5 crore people in these districts and adjoining areas would benefit from the new initiative.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya were present here for the inauguration.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)