Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. A.H. Vishwanath accuses State Government of closing Jan Aushad centres as they feature a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
| Photo Credit: File photo
MLC A. H. Vishwanath has criticised the State Government’s reported move to close down Jan Aushad centres operating in government-run hospitals in Karnataka.
Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on May 26, Mr. Vishwanath said the Jan Aushad centres are helping a large number of poor patients by ensuring medicine at affordable rates. Any move to close them down will hit the poor patients hard, the former Minister said.
He accused the State Government of closing Jan Aushad centres, which are part of the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadi Pariyojana of the government of India, as they feature a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Is it fair to close them down because they have the photograph of the Prime Minister? Tomorrow, if Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister, will you have it removed?”
Mr. Vishwanath referred to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with three persons from Mysuru testing positive, and called upon the government to take all necessary steps in this regard.
As a large number of people had suffered on account of coronavirus, the MLC asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to direct all the Ministers in charge of districts to personally visit district hospitals to ensure there are enough beds and medicine to tackle the disease.
He advised the State Government to ensure that sufficient oxygen cylinders are available, and pointed out that about 30 people had died due to lack of oxygen in Chamarajanagar during the pandemic.
NITI Aayog
Mr Vishwanath targeted Mr. Siddaramaiah for skipping the NITI Aayog meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
When all the Chief Ministers of the country are members of NITI Aayog under the federal system, Mr. Siddaramaiah’s decision to skip the meeting will affect Karnataka from the economic perspective.
Claiming that the Chief Minister’s economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy had stated that Mr. Siddaramaiah should have attended the meeting, Mr. Vishwanath wondered what was the important ‘pre-occupation’ that forced the Chief Minister to miss the NITI Aayog meeting. “He was here in Mysuru inaugurating a Indira Canteen. Is inaugurating Indira Canteen more important than attending the NITI Aayog meeting?”
Taking exception to the ‘waste of public money’ by paying ₹6.5 crore to actor Tamannaah Bhatia for becoming the brand ambassador for Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), Mr. Vishwanath pointed out that late Puneeth Rajkumar had become the brand ambassador for Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) without taking a single rupee.
“When Karnataka has so many good actors, including Aishwarya Rai, what was the need to sign Tamannaah Bhatia?”
Published – May 26, 2025 04:36 pm IST
