Bengaluru, March 21 : Amidst Ukraine-Russia war, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the state government is considering steps to reduce the fees for medical courses in the state to facilitate students to study here instead of going abroad for studies. “The cost of private seats are increasing compared to government seats. The cost of management or NRI seats are also high. Some students are unable to clear NEET exams even after scoring 90-95 percent marks. Because of all these things, they opt to study in countries like Ukraine,” he told reporters here before visiting Chalageri to pay his last respects to Naveen Shekharppa Gyanagoudar who was killed in Ukraine shelling on March 1. He made these comments replying to a query on plans to facilitate students to opt for studies in India, instead of them pursuing studies abroad. The central government is also taking steps to help those students returned from war-ravaged Ukraine without completing their courses, Bommai said. The National Medical Council are also considering the possibilities of reducing medical fees in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, CM said. The state government is also planning for categorising the fee structure in three segments, he said. Bommai said the central government is also thinking about making alternate arrangements for Ukraine medical student returnees to complete their courses in India. The CM earlier in the wee hours had received Naveen’s body at Bengaluru airport. BDN SHK1757