Medical admission: Bedi stresses on quota for Puducherry students in Private Colleges

Puducherry: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi reiterated that the territorial government should bring in a legislation to ensure 50 percent quota for local students in medical courses in private colleges.

Talking to reporters here she said, "the last budget session of Puducherry in May should have been utilised by the government to bring in a legislation to ensure 50 percent quota of seats for government-sponsored students in the private self-financing medical colleges here."

Referring to the legislation brought by Tamil Nadu government, earmarking 65 percent quota of seats to protect the local students, she said that Puducherry government could have also brought in a legislation." Bedi also said if a legislation was framed and sent to her "she will immediately forward it to the Centre for its nod."

The legislation would avert the necessity to go in for negotiation with the managements of the college to finalise the quota every year as was the case now, she added. The Medical council of India had already maintained that there would be no postponement of the dates of counselling of admission of students to three private medical colleges under management quota.

"The secretary to the Council had responded to the Chief Minister V Narayanasamys letter seeking postponement of the counselling date for admission under management quota and clarified that the schedule of counselling should be strictly adhered to lest it should give rise to contempt," she pointed out. The schedule of counselling was set by the Supreme Court and "we cannot escape from the schedule according to our convenience," she said. The Lt Governor welcomed the suggestion of the opposition AIADMK (Amma) for a special session of the Puducherry Assembly to adopt a legislation or a resolution to fix 50 percent quota in private medical colleges under government quota. She also urged the government to revamp the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC), a government authorised panel to conduct counselling.