The Telangana government has announced the setting up of a health university for the State at Warangal which will be named after poet Kaloji Narayana Rao.

Kaloji, whose birth centenary was celebrated recently, hailed from Warangal. It was at this function that Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister T. Rajaiah incurred the ire of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for saying that he hoped Mr. Rao would sanction the university at Warangal.

Mr. Rao’s rebuke invited a sharp reaction from SC organisations which backed Dr. Rajaiah, also an SC. However, Dr. Rajaiah defended what he said, arguing that there were demands for a health varsity from other districts. As Minister of health, he said he was well within his rights to seek the university in his home district. Also, there was land for the university in Warangal because the Kakatiya Medical College was located on a huge campus. The teaching hospital for the college – MGM Hospital – was also recently upgraded as a superspeciality institution with increased bed strength.