Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 9 (IANS): The Kerala government will take over ESI Corporation's Medical College and Hospital near Kollam which is presently under the union labour and employment ministry, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday.

Chandy made the announcement to to reporters here after the weekly cabinet meeting cleared the take over proposal.

Located about 70 km from the capital city, work of the proposed medical college and hospital is progressing and nearing completion.

The move follows the Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatraya declaring, while on a visit here, that his ministry has decided to exit from running the ESI medical colleges under it as it is not their core area and requested the state government to take it over.

"The state will take it over on a 99 year lease... the total cost of the project is Rs.540 crore, which would be borne by the ESI Corporation and would be repaid over a 30 year period by the state government. 50 percent of revenue generated from the hospital and the medical college would come to the state," said Chandy.

Meanwhile, 25 percent of the seats in the medical college will be reserved for the children of those insured under the ESI Corporation, he added.