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'Dedicate my last years to...' Ratan Tata addresses citizens at PM Modi's Assam event

Ratan Tata, 84, delivered a rare statement during the ceremony, declaring that he will devote his "final years to health." "I'm devoting my final years to health. Assam must become a state that acknowledges and is acknowledged by everyone," he added.

Ratan Tata, the industrialist, joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in launching cancer facilities in Assam through the Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a collaboration between the state government and the Tata trusts.

Ratan Tata, 84, delivered a rare statement during the ceremony, declaring that he will devote his "final years to health." "I'm devoting my final years to health. Assam must become a state that acknowledges and is acknowledged by everyone," he added.

Earlier this year, a Tata Trusts representative stated that three other similar cancer treatment centres are nearing completion and would open later this year. He stated that the 17 medical institutions, the "biggest" network under Tata Trusts' cancer management approach, will treat 50,000 patients each year, not just from Assam but also from neighbouring states. In the presence of Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he erected a plaque in front of the centre.

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He asked governments to establish Assam "a state that was recognised and accepted by everybody."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated seven state-of-the-art cancer facilities on Thursday as part of the Assam Cancer Care Foundation initiative, which is constructing 17 cancer hospitals across the state.

"In the Dibrugarh programme, 7 cancer hospitals throughout Assam will be inaugurated, and the foundation stone for 7 more cancer hospitals will be placed," Modi tweeted. "Such improvements to healthcare facilities throughout Assam are unparalleled and would greatly benefit the population," he further wrote.