Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging that a state proposal to create an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raichur district be included in the upcoming budget.

The interim budget for the new financial year is slated to be presented by Sitharaman on February 1.

"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.

“The State Government, on consideration of possible locations, is of the view that Raichur is the most suitable place to establish an AIIMS,” he further wrote, noting that the proposal of establishing an AIIMS in Karnataka is pending for quite some time.

“I would, therefore, request you to include the establishment of AIIMS at Raichur in the forthcoming Budget of 2024-25,” Siddaramaiah urged, reports PTI. 

Along with his letter to the finance minister, the chief minister has also sent a copy of his letter dated June 17, 2023, addressed to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh L Mandaviya, on this matter.

Various organisations and advocacy groups have protested the lack of medical services in Raichur, highlighting the "crucial need" for AIIMS in the region.