Tamil Nadu CM urges PM Modi to accommodate Ukraine return MBBS students

Stalin has urged the PM to urgently intervene in taking up this issue with the National Medical Commission and the relevant Ministries.

Tamil Nadu CM, M K Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has joined the list of Cms who have urged the Prime Minister to find a solution to accommodate Indian students from Ukraine in Indian medical colleges.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today returned from Hungary along with the last batch of 6711 stranded Indian Students from Budapest. Puri was among four ministers of the Modi government who were sent to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to safely evacuate Indians stranded in various parts of war-hit Ukraine.

India has brought back over 15,920 Indian nationals on 76 flights under evacuation mission 'Operation Ganga' that was launched following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, however, around 700 Indian students are still trapped in Sumy.

Stalin in his letter sent to Prime Minister has requested to find a way out to enable the affected students to continue their studies in medical colleges in India from the stage from which their studies in Ukraine have been disrupted. Since the beginning of the conflict, over 1,200 medical students have so far returned to Tamil Nadu and the remaining students are also expected to return in the coming days. The current situation has already resulted in the disruption of their studies and also threatens their future careers.

“While acknowledging the efforts taken by the Government of India in bringing back thousands of students caught in the conflict raging between Ukraine and Russia, I would like to draw your kind attention to the emerging vital need to address the uncertain future being faced by thousands of these students for continuing their studies,” Stalin writes in his letter to PM Modi.

Impossible for medical students to return to Ukraine

Highlighting the plight of medical students, Stalin writes: “Further, given the current unprecedented situation in Ukraine, it may not be practically possible for these medical students to return to their colleges in Ukraine, to continue their studies. The uncertainty is likely to prevail even after the cessation of hostilities and till the restoration of normalcy in their Universities.”

Tamil Nadu CM has urged the PM to urgently intervene in taking up this issue with the National Medical Commission and the relevant Ministries. He writes: “They may be directed to immediately find a way out to enable the affected students to continue their studies in medical colleges in India from the stage from which their studies in Ukraine have been disrupted. I assure you that the Tamil Nadu Government will offer unstinted support to all the efforts taken by the Government of India in this regard.”

Yesterday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to facilitate the continuation of studies of these medical students. Patnaik said that this is an unprecedented crisis that has the potential of disrupting the careers and future of many young men and women who have already gone through the trauma of being in the war zone.

Modi speaks to Zelenskyy

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and sought his support in the evacuation of Indian students stuck in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy city. Reportedly, around 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy amid intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

Prime Minister Modi sought continued support from the government of Ukraine in ongoing efforts for the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sumy.

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