Puducherry seeks 25% MBBS seat allocation in Deemed universities under state quota from the Centre

Puducherry : The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry was asked to allocate 25% of MBBS seats in the 4 institutions affiliated to Puducherry's deemed universities to the state quota by the Puducherry government. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, speaking to reporters said that a memorandum had been sent to the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister in this regard.

"I will also call him (Union health and family welfare minister) and urge him to allocate 25% of MBBS seats in deemed universities under state quota," he said.

The four institutions affiliated to deemed universities in Puducherry are: Arupadai Veedu Medical College, Vinayaga Mission Medical College, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute and Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences (Slims) —with a total seat strength of 600. Narayanasamy said, though these institutions were free to fill up all MBBS seats they did surrender seats (approximately 130- 140 seats) to the government every year until last year.

However, the Union government had for the present year directed the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to conduct the counselling for all deemed universities in the country to admit students.

"Last year the four institutions surrendered 137 MBBS seats to Puducherry government. From this year we will not get those 137 odd seats as the admission is done by DGHS. Hence we made a representation to the Union minister to allot 25% of MBBS seats in those institutions under Puducherry state quota," he said.

Narayanasamy said that he would ask the Union Ministry to allow the Puducherry government to emulate the Government run Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute by allowing it to fill its 22 NRI seats with state sponsored students, like was the case of IGMCRI last year.

To a question on Madras High Court asking for the list of PG students of 3 private medical colleges and 4 deemed universities for the academic year 2017-18, he said it wasn't because the jury had found fault with the government, but because it wanted to check on students who had been granted admission without following the government procedure on counselling.

He informed about negotiations being on between the Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao and representatives of three private medical colleges on sharing of MBBS seats under state and management quotas. The three private colleges have seat strengths of a 150 MBBS seats each