Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed previous governments for a large number of Indian students going abroad to pursue medical education and asserted that his dispensation has been working to augment the number of medical colleges so that students can enrol themselves within the country.

In an interaction with students from different parts of Uttar Pradesh who have returned from the war-hit Ukraine, Modi also empathised with those students and their families who have expressed their anger, even at him, after facing hardships in Ukraine.

“I think it is natural for them to feel angry in this crisis,” he said, adding that they have been facing hardships and braving cold.

The government has launched “Operation Ganga” to evacuate Indian citizens, mostly students, from Ukraine which has been attacked by Russia.

When they are no longer agitated and begin to understand the magnitude of the exercise, they will show their affection as well, the prime minister said, as many students expressed their thanks to him and lauded his government for rescuing them when they had lost all hope.

A strong India is the answer to these troubles, Modi said, expressing his sympathies with the students who, he added, had to go through such an experience at a young age.

“If medical education policies were right earlier, then you would not have to go abroad,” he said, adding that no parents want their children to go overseas at such a young age.

His government is working to correct the past mistakes, he added.

There were 300 to 400 medical colleges earlier, and they now number nearly 700, Modi said. The number of seats they offer has now gone up to 1.5 lakh from earlier 80,000-90,000, he said.

“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.

This will be a big thing as young students would not have to travel abroad, and their families would not have to under such stress, he added.

Speaking to the students, Modi said everyone should keep doing something for the country.

“You had to undergo such an experience in life at such a young age in a distant place alone. I can imagine the mental state you would have been through. Now we are able to evacuate people properly,” he said.

The students shared their experiences with Modi, who is on a tour of the state as part of the BJP’s campaign for the ongoing assembly polls.

Modi represents Varanasi constituency in Lok Sabha.

Sharing their experience, some students said they had left all hopes after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine and could not have returned without support from the government.

Some other students said they faced no difficulties and received adequate facilities from the Indian embassy there.

“After the attack began, it seemed I will not be able to return and saw death from close quarters. I am proud of being an Indian and you as prime minister,” a student said, adding that the display of Indian flag on their windows and buses ensured that Russian forces let them go without causing any problem.

Another student conveyed his family’s gratitude to the prime minister, saying they believed only he can do something after he was stranded in Ukraine. “You were being remembered only next to God,” he said.

Even students of some other countries also used Indian flag to get smooth passage from the Russian army, one said.

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