Maharashtra: Medical admissions and fee regulation bill passed

Mumbai: A bill to amend the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission Fees) Act, was passed by the legislative Assembly on Thursday. The bill will empower the government to regulate fees of all colleges and restrict private institutions from conducting common entrance tests.

"This means, all medical and dental colleges, including self-financed ones, will have to follow NEET rules — 85% seats under merit and 15% under management quota — for admissions," Minister of State for Higher and Technical Education, Ravindra Waikar, told TOI. The bill is now going to be placed in the legislative council.

The draft which had been lying in wait for nearly nine years, as most ministers in earlier governments were on boards of medical and engineering institutions, is finally moving said sources. "A panel will be set up under a retired high court judge, with a chartered accountant and a former vice-chancellor, among others, on it," Waikar added.

As the Act will bring all engineering, medical and agriculture colleges & universities under its influence, private institutions will have to structure their fees in accordance to government's rules. This will also satisfy the long-pending demand of students and parents, as seats in government colleges are few.

Out of 6,695 MBBS seats in the state, only 2,810 are in government institutions. The remaining are in central government institutions and private colleges.10 medical and approximately 6 deemed dental universities are under the control of Congress and NCP leaders: MGM Medical College (Aurangabad and Navi Mumbai) by NCP leader Kamal Kishore Kadam,Pravara Medical College (Ahmednagar) is controlled by opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Bharti Vidyapeeth (Sangli and Pune) by Congress leader Patangrao Kadam, Dr DY Patil Medical and Dental College and Datta Meghe Medical and Dental College in Wardha reports TOI.