Govt considering measures to reduce medical fees in the state: Karnataka CM Bommai
Davangere(PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the government is considering measures to reduce the fees for medical course in the state and also National Medical Council (NMC) is looking into it, following the Ukraine crisis, aimed at facilitating more students to study here.
He also said that the Centre is considering alternative measures for medical students, who have returned from war-torn Ukraine, before completing their course.
"The current cost of medical education is increasing. Despite the cost of government seats being low, in the private sector it is increasing. In some cases students, who score 90-95 per cent are unable to clear NEET exams, as management or NRI seat costs are also high, they opt for via media options (of studying in countries like Ukraine)," Bommai said.
He was responding to a question regarding plans for changes in policies to provide enough opportunity for students to study medicine in India itself, instead of them going to countries like Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "the government has held discussions in this regard, to reduce the fees in the state we are planning for A, B and C categorisation, but as the medical courses are controlled by National Medical Council (NMC), they are also looking at it. Things are under consideration in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis."
To a question whether the government is planning any alternate arrangements for medical students who have returned from Ukraine, as their education is discontinued, the Chief Minister said, the central government is thinking about it.
"The course there is different from here, on completing the course there, students have to clear exams to practice here. Students of first, second and third year all have come back, as students from different states are involved, the Centre is thinking about it," he added.
Bommai was speaking ahead of visiting Chalageri village of Ranebennur taluk in Haveri district, to pay last respects to Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagaudar, a final year medical student at Kharkiv National Medical University, who was killed on March 1 in Russian shelling in Ukraine.
The Chief Minister earlier in the day had received the mortal remains of Gyanagaudar at the airport in Bengaluru.
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Saif Ali Khan’s attacker allegedly let in by house help, Police investigate
Mumbai: Mumbai Police suspect that the attacker who stabbed actor Saif Ali Khan six times during an alleged burglary attempt was let into his Bandra residence by one of his house helps. The house help is currently under scrutiny as police investigate the incident. The 54-year-old actor, who sustained injuries, including one near his spine, has undergone surgery at Lilavati Hospital and is reportedly out of danger.
The attack occurred late at night, and preliminary investigations suggest the assailant may have entered the premises hours earlier and waited for an opportunity to strike. CCTV footage from the residence did not capture any recent entry, strengthening the suspicion that the attacker was assisted by someone inside.
Police reported that the incident began as a scuffle during the burglary attempt. “An unidentified person intruded into the residence of Actor Saif Ali Khan. The actor and the intruder had a scuffle. The actor is injured and is being treated. Investigation is ongoing,” officials said.
The attack has raised questions about security in Mumbai’s high-profile areas. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the state government, highlighting similar incidents such as the murder of Baba Siddique and the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence. “If celebrities in Bandra are not safe, who in Mumbai is? This is a serious failure of law and order,” she said.
Actor Pooja Bhatt also expressed concerns, urging authorities to address the issue urgently. “Can this lawlessness please be curbed? Bandra has never felt so unsafe before,” she tweeted, tagging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior officials.
Police are now focused on identifying the attacker, who fled the scene, and examining the possible role of the house help in the incident.
