Varanasi (UP): When in his usual aplomb, PM Modi never misses an opportunity to take a dig at previous governments. The latest of his attacks came on Thursday, when he interacted with students brought home from Ukraine.
PM Modi wished previous governments had set up more medical colleges. Thus, a large number of students could have avoided pursuing medical education abroad.
His government is working to add more medical colleges to help students study in the nation.
Alongside, PM Modi empathized with students and families who were angry, even at him, having faced hardships in Ukraine. "I think it is natural for them to feel angry in this crisis," he said.
He acknowledged the fact that they had faced hardships following the war in the bone-chilling temperature. 'Operation Ganga' saw India bringing home thousands of students entrapped in Ukraine.
Now that students are back home, he hoped that those who were angry would understand the magnitude of the evacuation. Feeling for students having undergone hardships at a young age, he said a strong India was the answer to these troubles.
"If medical education policies were right earlier, then you would not have to go abroad," he said. No parents want their children to go overseas at such a young age, according to him.
His government is working to correct the past mistakes, he added. Against 300 to 400 medical colleges earlier, he added, there are now 700 colleges with seats up to 1.5 lakhs contrary to 80,000-90,000 seats previously offered.
"My effort is that every district has one medical college. Probably, there will be more doctors produced in 10 years than the last 70 years," he said.
Many students expressed their thanks to him and lauded his government for rescuing them when they had lost all hope.