President Droupadi Murmu announced on Wednesday that over the past decade, 16 AIIMS and 315 medical colleges have been established, resulting in a more than doubling of MBBS seats during this period. These significant strides in healthcare and education were highlighted during her address to the joint session of both Houses of Parliament.
President Murmu emphasized the National Education Policy's focus on instruction in mother tongue and Indian languages. Notably, subjects such as engineering, medicine, and law are now taught in Indian languages. The government's commitment to providing quality education is evident in the ongoing efforts to establish over 14,000 'PM Shri Vidyalayas,' with more than 6,000 schools already operational.
Acknowledging the success of government initiatives, President Murmu noted a decrease in the school dropout rate and increased enrollment of girls in higher education. Furthermore, Scheduled Caste student enrollment rose by approximately 44%, Scheduled Tribe student enrollment by over 65%, and OBC enrollment by more than 44%. The Atal Innovation Mission has played a pivotal role, establishing 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs that engage over 1 crore students in fostering innovation.
Highlighting the unprecedented achievements in tourism over the last decade, President Murmu credited the increase in both domestic and foreign tourists to India's growing global significance. Improved connectivity, airport constructions, and record-breaking tourist arrivals in North East, Andaman-Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands have contributed to this success.
President Murmu also underscored the government's efforts to ease pilgrimage experiences, with 8.5 crores visiting Kashi, over 5 crores at Mahakaal, and more than 19 lakh pilgrims at Kedar Dham in the last year alone. She emphasized the ongoing expansion of facilities at pilgrimage sites across the country.
In a bid to position India as a prominent destination for meetings and exhibitions, the government has developed facilities like Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi. President Murmu expressed optimism about tourism emerging as a major source of employment in the near future.
(With Agency Inputs)
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