New Delhi: The medical seats in India will be increased by 75,000 in the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said during his address on the 78th Independence Day at Red Fort, New Delhi.
He also said the government had increased medical seats to nearly one lakh in the last 10 years. But, he added, around 25,000 students go abroad for medical studies each year.
88% increase in no. of medical colleges in India in last decade: Data
According to a data by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 88% increase has happened in the number of medical colleges in the country between 2014 and 2024. It rose from 387 to 731 in 10 years.
The data also claims that there has been an increase of 118 % in MBBS seats, from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,12,112 till July, 2024. The ministry also stated that 133% increase has been recorded in the number of PG seats in medical field, from 31,185 before 2014 to 72,627 so far, this year.
Focus on nutrition
Developed India of 2047 should also be a healthy India, said the PM. To achieve the same goal, the country will have to focus on the nutrition of children.
“Viksit Bharat 2047 should also be a healthy Bharat. And for a healthy Bharat, we need to focus on the nutrition of today’s children starting now. Therefore, we have launched a nutrition campaign as the first phase of Viksit Bharat,” the PM said.
Focus on skill development
Referring to the Budget 2024, PM Modi also highlighted the initiatives announced by the government to train youth. “Today, we see changes in the world, and the importance of skills has greatly increased. We want to give skills a new power, keeping Industry 4.0 in mind, and focus on skill development. We have implemented the Skill India program on a very large scale, and the budget has also been increased to promote skill development,” the PM said.
