PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 30 -- BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Pal Maurya has urged the Union government to grant All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) status to Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital, Prayagraj, citing the requirement for advanced healthcare infrastructure in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Amar Pal Maurya said Prayagraj has remained an important centre for religion, education, the judiciary and healthcare. He stated that SRN Hospital serves as the largest tertiary care facility in the region, providing treatment to patients from the Prayagraj division, including Pratapgarh, Fatehpur and Kaushambi, as well as districts of Bundelkhand such as Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot. Patients from Satna and Rewa districts of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh also depend on the hospital, he added. The MP said that since 2014, the UP government has worked towards setting up medical colleges across districts. He informed the Upper House that the number of AIIMS institutions in the country has increased from seven before 2014 to 23 at present. During the same period, MBBS seats have increased by 130%, from 51,348 in 2014 to 1,18,137 currently. Granting AIIMS status to SRN Hospital would benefit residents of the Prayagraj division as well as those in the Awadh and Bundelkhand regions, he said....