Varanasi, UP: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday blamed previous governments for not having the right policies for medical education in India, which led to a large number of students going abroad for studies, and said that his government has been working to increase the number of medical colleges so that students can enroll themselves within the country. PM Modi was interacting with students who have returned to India from the war-hit Ukraine, in Varanasi on Thursday. Interacting with the prime minister, the students shared their experiences. Talking to them, PM Modi said a strong India is an answer to these troubles. He expressed his sympathies with the students who, he said, had to go through such an experience at a young age. “If medical education policies were right earlier in our country, then you would not have to go abroad,” he said, and added that no parents want their children to go overseas at such a young age.Related NewsIndia denies Russia’s claim of Ukraine holding Indian students as ‘human shields’ However, his government is working to correct the past mistakes, he said. “There were 300 to 400 medical colleges earlier, and they now number nearly 700. The number of seats they offer has now gone up to 1.5 lakh from earlier 80,000-90,000,” PM Modi said.The prime minister further said that he is making efforts to bring one medical college in every district. “Probably, there will be more doctors produced in 10 years than the last 70 years,” he added.Related NewsQuad leaders to hold virtual meeting today amid Russia-Ukraine crisis; PM Narendra Modi to attend During the interaction, the students thanked him and lauded his government for rescuing them from Ukraine when they had lost all hope. A total of 18,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since the first travel advisory was issued by the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on the day. He further said that as many as 18 flights were scheduled over the next 24 hours under ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate stranded Indian nationals from the war-hit nation.