Maharashtra: State takes over 100 percent PG seats in Deemed, private institutes

Mumbai: The state government is at liberty now to take charge of all the postgraduate medical admissions and that is exactly what it has done after a clarification regarding the same was issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Earlier, the state had sought exemption for NRI and management quota seats in deemed and private colleges from centralized counselling process, following the example of a few other states. The central Government clarification on this account on Thursday, the state has decided to follow suite . The decision has sent a wave of relief down aspirant spines; as deemed institutes have 925 seats in postgraduate courses, while 350 are held in the private college kitties.

The state government had earlier in the year decided to fill 50% of the PG seats across private and deemed institutions. The remaining 50% under the institutional quota were to be filled by the management.

The Union Ministry in a March Circular intervened to say that the state fill all the seats. The Under Secretary’s note issued by the Ministry stated, 'it has come to the notice of the central government that some states are exempting certain category of seats from common counselling'.

The centre reiterated that the state governments shall conduct common counselling for all postgraduate courses including management and NRI quota seats and no exemptions were to be exercised.

"The state was to take a final decision after a meeting with the management of deemed and private institutes. But with this notification from the centre, the state will have to follow the rule," Pravin Shingare ,Director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) told the TOI.

A trustee of a group running a medical college,clarified that they were able to balance out the expenses with the fees taken from students admitted under the institutional quota. "If this quota is taken away, it will be difficult for us to manage the college." Some of the colleges may seek legal opinion on the same.