We do not comply with the requirement, but we demand that our expectation should be fulfilled; if not, we will blame the Central government with all political reasons. Such a tactic once again emerged in Kerala after the Union Budget was presented before Parliament on February 1, without any reference to AIIMS in Kerala.
For over a decade, the discussion about AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Kerala has become a point of contention in Centre–State relations. The Communists and State government has been blaming the Modi government for not allotting AIIMS to the State since its very inception.
However, the Union government has been insisting on the conditions and parameters that the State government has to comply with before the allotment is made.
Observers maintain that the AIIMS proposal has been evading progress due to several reasons, including the State government’s stubbornness. The arrogance of the State government did not change even after the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) came to power after defeating the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the State.
The fact remains that the State government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has not shown land of the required size as per the criteria.
According to the conditions laid down by the Union Ministry of Family Welfare, 200 acres of land is the main condition. Four such plots should be shortlisted and applications should be submitted accordingly.
Following it, the Union Ministry is expected to zero in on one of the four proposed plots. An abundant supply of sweet water, electricity, and four-way connectivity should also be ensured.
However, the Government of Kerala has reportedly not shortlisted the lands or informed the Union Ministry so far.
The LDF government found land at Kinaloor in Kozhikode, but its area is only 151 acres. CM Pinarayi Vijayan has maintained that the project should not be launched in any other place.
The Kerala High Court had ruled on March 28, 2025, that AIIMS should not be launched by ignoring any rule. Still, the Communist government has not found any land. This shows the political motive of a blame game against the Union government. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who declared readiness to allot an AIIMS in Kerala while inaugurating a developmental project at Kochi on February 16, 2021.
However, the State government is still not ready to allot 700 acres of land belonging to Kerala Paper Products at Velloor in Kottayam district, despite it being abandoned land filled with trash trees. This remains mysterious. The State government’s negligence towards AIIMS dates back to the first Pinarayi government.
Even the UDF government led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had not found suitable land for AIIMS. The then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had expressed serious interest in launching an AIIMS in Kerala. Accordingly, the UDF government had proposed four parcels of land: the Open Jail at Kattakkada, land adjacent to the Medical College at Kottayam, HMT land at Kalamasserry near Kochi, and Kinaloor.
The Kattakkada project was rejected as it was a village area next to forests. Kottayam and Kalamasserry already have medical colleges, and the area of land at Kinaloor is insufficient. Even though this is a well-known fact, the LDF government continues to push Kinaloor.
In other words, unnecessary political motives are behind the delay in establishing AIIMS in Kerala.
