Only 45 candidates of the 140 invited, turn up for PG counselling in Puducherry

Puducherry: The Centralized Admission Committee (Centac), for Counselling for admissions to postgraduate medical courses, saw just 45 of the 140 students called, appear for the sessions held at private, deemed and the sole government college of the state, on May 4.

The reason for 95 of them not turning up for the counselling was the government not having fixed the fee for the post graduate medical programs in private colleges. The government constituted fee committee has yet to submit its fee structure recommendations in private colleges.

Another 127 students have been invited for the first round of counselling on May 5. Responding to court stricture that medical and deemed universities are to surrender 50% of their post graduate seats to the government, both deemed and private colleges have announced their reluctance for the same.

Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute and Sri Venkateswara Medical College have refused to surrender 50% of their seats to the government claiming to be 'linguistic minority' institutions.

Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences has denied the 50% seat surrender on the plea that it falls under the 'religious minority 'category. The court has exempted minority institutions from surrendering seats to the government.

Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College is another institution that has refused to surrender 50% seats under government quota.

K V Raman, Director (Health and Family Welfare Services), who acknowledged to have received denials of surrender on the part of private and deemed universities said that the government would nevertheless, implement the directions of the Union government on admission of students in postgraduate medical programs.

"We have uploaded the seat matrix on Centac website. Private colleges and deemed universities refusing to surrender seats will face action sooner or later. We will implement the Centre's direction on admission issue. There are a few issues pending before the court. We are closely monitoring the developments," said Raman.

V Balasubramanian, President, Students and Parents Welfare Association, Pondicherry charged the government for having failed to take strict action against institutions both private and deemed, who had not surrendered their 50% quota of PG seats to the government, on an yearly basis, since the beginning.

AIADMK (Amma) legislature party leader, A Anbazhagan said that Lt. Governor Ms. Kiran Bedi should ensure that the fee structure of post graduate medical and dental programs in private colleges is decided upon immediately, reports TOI.