Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh today inaugurated the ‘Langar Sewa Canteen’, in the premises of Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH) to be run by an NGO, ‘Almighty Blessings’. The canteen would provide refreshment to the attendants of the patients and would function from 7 am to 9 pm every day.Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister exhorted the people to donate voluntarily for the noble cause which would help the NGO to meet its expenses though it was a free service for the mankind. Almighty Blessings was running such a canteen in Cancer Hospital Shimla, which was opened in October 2014 and was serving to the attendants who come with the patients. He said that no institution can prosper without people's participation. He said that charity begins at home thus the people should come out with a helping hand to assist NGOs who were voluntarily working day and night and serving the poor and needy.The Chief Minister assured all assistance to the NGO. He said that one block of this Mother and Child Hospital was completed and the other new block would be completed soon and thereafter the third block would be constructed in place of the old building by demolishing it. He directed the executing agencies to speed up the work on the hospital projects, may it be construction of Super- Specialty block or OPD block of IGMC or the building work of the Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital. The Chief Minister said that one of the blocks of DDU had been completed and the work on the other block should be started soon by demolishing the old building. There was no constraint of funds for development works and he also directed the officers not to create unnecessary hindrance in execution of the projects.
He directed concerned authorities to complete the ongoing works in all three hospitals of Shimla during this financial year. The Chief Minister also announced a sum of Rs 2 crore for replacing the digital x-ray machine of KNH.Earlier, President of Almighty Blessings, Shri Sarabjit Singh ‘Bobby’ welcomed the Chief Minister and Chairperson, Red Cross Hospital Welfare Section Smt. Pratibha Singh.He detailed about the activities of his NGO and informed that he had served more than five lakh people so far. He said that the NGO intends to open Shelter Home for the attendants coming with patients at IGMC, so that they may not suffer due to lack of accommodation or vagaries of weather. He disclosed that within a fortnight a ‘Cloth Bank’ would also be started in the campus of KNH. Besides, five Chapati banks had been started at Sanjauli, Totu, Kasumpati, Lakkar bazaar and Lower Bazar to collect fresh chapattis everyday and to serve the people who sometimes even don’t have enough money for buying medicines too.Medical Superintendent, KNH, Shri L.S. Chaudhary also thanked the Chief Minster for announcing a sum of rupees two crore for the x-ray machine. He also detailed about the ongoing works in the hospital.Chairperson Red Cross Hospital Welfare Section, Smt. Pratibha Singh, Mayor, Shri Sanjay Chauhan, Vice-Chairperson, HPTDC, Shri Harish Janartha were also present on the occasion amongst others.