Merging of Govt quota seats into management quota deferred by SGRDC

Faridkot: Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College (SGRDC), Amritsar has been held back from converting all its 75% government quota MBBS seats into management quota seats by the state government.

Harjit Singh, Punjab’s Director, Public Instructions (DPI) Colleges presided over a six hour meeting at his office in Sector 17, Chandigarh.

At the meeting, representatives from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-run institute will present rules and regulations to be followed , if given the status of a medical university, a mandatory requirement for quota seat transfer.

SGRD has 150 seats, with 75 in the government (general) quota and 75 in the management/minority quota. The minority/management quota fee is around Rs 40 lakh.It is four times the cost (around Rs 10 lakh) of a seat in the government quota.

July 17 has been fixed as the date for counselling, for registered candidates for medical admissions.

In case, no decision surfaces then candidates will fill their preference as per the current quota divisions at the institute.

“The rules that govern the setting up of medical university needed to be studied carefully. There was not enough time to take an immediate decision and approve the relevant rules. One approved, the rules cannot be changed for five years,” said a senior official, Punjab Education Department. The next date for a meeting is yet to be fixed.

If the government quota is removed those with no reservation, and also not part of the NRI quota, will not get admission at the institute.

Of the 75 seats in the government quota , 12 seats are reserved for NRIs. Of the 63 seats remaining, 25 are reserved for Scheduled Caste, Backward Class and the Handicapped; leaving the general category student with only 38 to fight for of the 150 remaining.With the scrapping of the government quota, these shall go, as well.

The management quota also has 11 seats reserved for NRIs.

On July 1, the institute moved the BFUHS, for approval.This it did despite having announced the conversion of its government quota MBBS seats into management quota. The university refused approval saying it would be a state government decision, reports HT.

Read also: Punjab: Alleged jiffy over SGPC Institute conversion into a medical university