Aiims Darbhanga to be built by NBCC arm; Centre awards Rs 1,261 cr contract

Aiims Darbhanga, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2020, will be built over 182 acres of land at a cost of Rs 1,261 crore, which will be fully funded by the Centre

A subsidiary of state-owned NBCC (India) Limited, formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation, has been awarded the contract to build All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Aiims) Darbhanga in Bihar, days after Union Health Minister JP Nadda announced that the work to build the establishment will commence soon.

NBCC’s HSCC has bagged a Rs 1,261 crore contract to build Aiims in Darbhanga, located about 140 kms north-east of capital city Patna. NBCC disclosed the details of the contract in a regulatory filing on Monday. 

Features of proposed Aiims Darbhanga

A total of 182 acres of land has been allocated for the development of AIIMS-Darbhanga project. On September 15, the Union Cabinet had approved the budget for Aiims Darbhanga at Rs 1,264 crore, which will be fully funded by the Centre, according to a press statement. Besides the hospital, the complex will also feature a teaching Block for medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities and services.

Last Friday, while addressing a press conference to highlight the key achievements of his ministry on the completion of 100 days of the Narendra Modi-led coalition government, Nadda said, “The issue of allotment of land for Aiims Darbhanga, which was pending for over three years, has been finally settled.” As of August, the Bihar government has handed over 150.13 acres of land for the project, the press release said.

The Union Cabinet had approved the Aiims Darbhanga project in September 2020, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). Back then, it was said that the project was likely to cost Rs 1,264 and once approved would take 48 months to be completed.

The said establishment is expected to have a capacity of 750 beds, according to the proposed plan. The institute is expected to generate employment for nearly 3000 persons in various faculty and non-faculty posts.