West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced during a public service distribution event at Teesta Maidan in Raiganj that the state government is sending a formal proposal to the Centre to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Dwipnagar on the outskirts of Raiganj, North Dinajpur. Responding to a demand spanning nearly two decades, the announcement sparked widespread celebrations among local residents, BJP leaders, and supporters. Following the Chief Minister’s speech, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal dispatched an official letter to Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava requesting an early technical assessment of a newly identified 180-acre plot. The request revives a project originally sanctioned by the UPA government in 2008 with an ₹823 crore budget for a 960-bed facility, which stalled over land acquisition disputes during previous administrations and was subsequently relocated to Kalyani. Fulfilling a major assembly election pledge for North Bengal, Adhikari expressed confidence in returning to perform the foundation ceremony alongside Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, while also announcing plans for a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Jalpaiguri, a new highway connecting Raiganj and Islampur, and improved road connectivity to Barsoi in Bihar.
