This is reflective of the growing realization at the IDB that the northern part of India needs greater attention, said Ahmad Abdul Hai, the noted Indian surgeon, here recently.
Abdul Hai is the east zone convener of the Central Panel for IDB Projects in India, as the panel is formally known.
Abdul Hai said that there is a general perception that IDB is more focused on the south whereas the highest concentration of Muslims in India is in the east that covers Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam and half a dozen northeastern states.
Abdul Hai, who is on the panel of a number of national and international institutions and a former president of the Association of Surgeons of India, said he is working on a major Muslim minority project in Patna.
The $50-million project, known as Abdul Hai Medical Campus, will have five colleges for teaching MBBS, dental, nursing, paramedics and hospital management.
Abdul Hai said once completed the campus will be the biggest Muslim institution of its kind in north India.
The campus, being promoted by a non-profit organization called Hai Medicare Research and Educational Foundation, already runs a 120-bed hospital, a key requirement for opening a medical college.
Addressing a reception given in his honor by the Indian expatriates belonging to Bihar and Jharkhand, Abdul Hai urged Muslims of the region to come forward for the welfare of the community.
Nasim Akhtar, who organized the meeting, said Indian expatriates should do everything possible to strengthen the hands of people like Abdul Hai.
