In the run-up to the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of an AIIMS in Bilaspur town on October 3, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said on Sunday.

AIIMS Bilaspur is another milestone in the list of achievements of the National Democratic Alliance government in the health sector, an official statement quoted Nadda as saying.The Minister said the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Bilaspur will provide the much-needed tertiary medical services to a vast population of not only Himachal Pradesh but other northern states also.Bilaspur, some 120 km from the state capital, is the hometown of Nadda.Hailing the decision, local Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur said: "This (AIIMS) will prove to be a boon for the residents as they will get world-class medical facilities in their vicinity."

He thanked Nadda for finalising a piece of land at Kothipura village on priority to ensure that the foundation stone could be laid by the Prime Minister at an early date.The 68-member assembly is likely to go to polls in November. The state is currently ruled by the Congress while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the main opposition party.