West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that students returning to the state from war-hit Ukraine will get seats in government and private medical colleges, India Today reported. She added that the state administration has proposed financial assistance for them.

“We are sending our proposal to the medical council in Delhi,” she said. “If they allow our decisions, students of other states will also benefit.”

Banerjee was interacting with 391 students who were recently evacuated from Ukraine.

Thousands of Indian students go to Ukraine to pursue medical courses. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, many Indian students studying there have been stranded, although a majority have been evacuated.

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The West Bengal chief minister said that students will be allowed to continue their internships at government colleges. She has also proposed that first-year students be offered new admissions to medical colleges in the state.

For second- and third-year students, Banerjee said if the National Medical Council permits, they will be enrolled into private medical colleges. The government will take permission from the council to allow senior students to practice in the state.

Banerjee has also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to exempt the evacuated students from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), NDTV reported. The entrance test is for students who want to pursue undergraduate medical, dental and other courses in government and private colleges in India.

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“It is requested that the relevant guidelines may be relaxed as a very special case to accommodate these students,” Banerjee said in the letter.

She also mentioned that the 391 students who have returned to West Bengal were under “severe stress and anxiety due to [an] uncertain future”.