India, April 11 -- The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Friday said voluntary medical duty during the upcoming Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will count toward the mandatory District Residency Programme (DRP) for postgraduate medical students.

NMC chairman Dr BN Gangadhar said that the participation of PG medical students was voluntary.

Post graduate medical students must complete three months of service in district health systems to gain hands-on experience under the DRP made mandatory by NMC from 2021.

The Char Dham Yatra, starting April 30 and running till October, includes visits to four sacred Hindu sites in Uttarakhand - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath. Last year, around 30 lakh pilgrims took part, according to ...