New Delhi: Tamil Nadu government has launched a counselling campaign for the students who have returned from conflict-ridden Ukraine and their parents.
Speaking about the counselling service, state health minister Ma Subramanian, on Thursday said that around 40 counsellors have been deployed in Tamil Nadu to speak with the students who have returned from war-torn Ukraine and their parents.
Ma Subramanian, while speaking to news agency IANS, said, “Whatever humanitarian support they need, we will give thorough counselling and counsellors will be working round the clock. This is a continuous process.”
Launching the counselling service through the state’s toll-free helpline 104, Subramanian said that seven WhatsApp groups have been formed and the students are being counselled on the basis of the concerns raised by them.
A mental health counseling program was launched today through 104 Medical Service Centers for students returning to Tamil Nadu from Ukraine. #Ukraine #masubramanian #TNHealthminister pic.twitter.com/mBSXAtYdI6
— Subramanian.Ma (@Subramanian_ma) March 9, 2022
The state health minister further said that four MPs and bureaucrats had camped in the national capital and were constantly in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ensure the stranded locals safely returned from Ukraine to Tamil Nadu.
IAS officer Atulya Misra has been assigned to coordinate the effort. The stranded students were asked whether they wanted to return and based on their preference, they were being evacuated, the health minister further said. As many as 1,416 medical students, ranging from first to fourth-year, have returned till date, Subramanian added.
“The Chief Minister has appealed to the Union government to enable these students to complete their education in India. The students also want the Union government to help them complete their education,” The Hindu quoted Subramanian as saying on the sidelines of an event.
“When we asked the students, they said they could complete their education in Poland or in neighbouring countries where the curriculum is similar. We expect the Union government to take a decision in this regard,” the minister added.