New Delhi, Jan 31 : President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that as many as 16 AIIMS and 315 medical colleges have been established in the last decade while the number of MBBS seats has more than doubled during the period.


President Murmu made the remarks while addressing the joint sitting of both Houses of the Parliament.

In her address, the President said that in the National Education Policy, emphasis has been laid on education in mother tongue and Indian languages.

"Teaching of subjects like engineering, medical, law has been started in Indian languages. To provide quality education to school students, my government is working on more than 14,000 'PM Shri Vidyalayas'. Out of these, more than 6000 schools have started functioning," she added.

"The school dropout rate in the country has reduced due to efforts of my government. The enrolment of girls in higher education has increased. Enrolment of Scheduled Caste students has increased by about 44 per cent, that of Scheduled Tribe students by more than 65 per cent and that of OBC by more than 44 per cent. Under Atal Innovation Mission, 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been established to promote innovation. More than 1 crore students are involved in it," she added.

President Murmu further said that in the last 10 years, the government has done "unprecedented" work in the field of tourism. "Along with the number of domestic tourists in India, the number of foreign tourists coming to India has also increased... The reason for the growth in the tourism sector is owed to India's growing stature. Today the world wants to explore and know India."

"Apart from this, the scope of tourism has also increased due to excellent connectivity. Building of airports at various places is also advantageous. Now, North East is witnessing record tourist arrivals. Now there is heightened excitement about Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands," she said.

About development of pilgrimage destinations and historical sites across the country, she said that the government has made pilgrimage in India easier now. "In the last one year 8.5 crores of people have visited Kashi. More than 5 crores of people have visited Mahakaal. More than 19 lakh people have visited Kedar Dham. In the 5 days of 'Pran Pratishtha', 13 lakh devotees have visited Ayodhya Dham itself."

President Murmu said that there is "unprecedented expansion" of facilities at pilgrimage sites in every part of the country.

The government "also wants to make India a leading destination for meetings and exhibitions related sectors. For this, facilities like Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi have been created. In near future, tourism will become a major source of employment", she added.

/IANS