The Tamil Nadu government has been requesting the Union government to allow 1,890 medical students, who recently returned from war-torn Ukraine to Tamil Nadu, to continue their education either in India or in countries that follow a syllabus similar to Ukraine’s, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Friday.
Replying to a special call attention motion moved by various parties in the Assembly, he said the State would help out these students.
Recalling the steps taken by the State to ensure their safe return from Ukraine, Mr. Subramanian pointed out that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin last month wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to allow these students to continue their education in India. He reiterated the request at a meeting with Mr. Modi last month, he said.
From the psychological counselling offered to these students in Tamil Nadu, it emerged that they had two requests — they be allowed to continue their education in Tamil Nadu or in any other Indian State or in any of the countries that follow the same syllabus as Ukraine, the Minister said. The Chief Minister conveyed their views to the Union Minister for External Affairs, who later informed Parliament that India was in talks with Hungary, Romania, Kazakhstan and Poland and other countries for these students to continue their education.
DMK MLA N. Ezhilan (Thousand Lights), AIADMK MLA Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy (Kalasapakkam), Congress floor leader K. Selvaperunthagai (Sriperumbudur), PMK floor leader G.K. Mani (Pennagaram), VCK floor leader S. Sinthanai Selvan (Kattumannarkoil), CPI’s K. Marimuthu (Thiruthuraipoondi), CPI(M)’s V.P. Nagaimaali (Kilvelur), Vasudevanallur MLA T. Sathan Thirumalai Kumar, Papanasam MLA M.H. Jawahirullah and Panruti MLA T. Velmurugan raised concerns over the future of these students.
The four BJP members were not present from the time the motion was moved till the Minister gave his reply.
