Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has approved a proposal to allow private players to open medical colleges in the state, the health minister said on Friday.

"The government has approved a policy for setting up of private medical colleges in the state and land will be provided to them at a token amount of just Re.1," state Health Minister Amar Agrawal told the sources.

He added the government would provide two acres of land in urban areas and five acres of land in rural areas at Re.1 to private investors who will open super speciality hospitals in the state.

The government will also provide 22,500 sq ft of land to the private parties who plan to open hospitals in tribal areas where the government has been trying to improve health facilities for decades.

Chhattisgarh has just three government medical colleges as of now, one each at Raipur, Bilaspur and Jagdalpur.

Agrawal also said that a provision will be made under which poor people could be treated free of cost at private hospitals. IANS