Accommodate Ukraine-returned students in Indian medical colleges: Mamata Banerjee to PM Modi
Kolkata, March 16: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his immediate intervention to facilitate the further studies of medical students who returned from war-torn Ukraine.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also requested an exemption for Ukraine-returned medical students from NEET-UG for admission to colleges.
In her letter to PM Modi, Banerjee provided suggestions to accommodate and allow Ukraine-returned students for internships in the government medical colleges and admission in private Indian medical colleges. The CM mentioned that 391 students from West Bengal have returned from Ukraine and they are facing severe stress and anxiety due to an 'uncertain future'.
She further added that all these students have invested considerable financial resources and time in pursuance of their dreams but they are now left in the lurch.
According to the National Medical Commission's (NMC) current guidelines, students who are eligible for the internship will be allowed to do so in state government medical colleges and will be given the same stipend as the other candidates.
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"For other students in different years of the studies, they may be allowed to get admitted at the equivalent level in the private medical colleges against the existing seats and these medical colleges may be allowed to increase the equivalent number of seats for accommodating these students," the TMC leader suggested.
"The present stipulations of the NMC mandate that only those students who qualify for the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET-UG) can only get admission into the medical colleges. Many of the students who have returned from Ukraine do not meet this requirement. It is requested that the relevant guidelines may be relaxed as a very special case to accommodate these students," said Banerjee.
The chief minister added that the private medical colleges in West Bengal have agreed to accommodate these students at state quota fees.
"Sir, this is an unprecedented war situation which calls for an extraordinary solution. Hence, I request your kind urgent intervention. I also request that as students who have returned to other states are facing similar problems, the steps that may be taken by NMC be implemented for other states as well," urged the West Bengal CM.
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-PTC News
