Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of Super Specialty Cancer Treatment and Research Centre at Mullanpuron town near Chandigarh on Monday.

The upcoming cancer hospital is developed and established by Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on the lines of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai at the cost of Rs 450 crore, a Punjab Government spokesman said.

The Punjab Government had given 50 acres of prime land in Mullanpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh free of cost for this prestigious institute.

The institute would provide the best health care and diagnostic facilities to the patients afflicted with cancer in the region, the spokesman said.