OOPS: Kerala issues EWS Quota consent letters to private medical colleges; Withdraws later

Thiruvananthapuram: A great deal of confusion erupted after the state government issued two consent letters to private medical colleges in connection to implement the 10 per cent quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Realizing that the quota is applicable only for government medical colleges, the state later nullified them.

Medical Dialogues had reported that earlier this year, on January 9, the Parliament had passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill 2019 to help the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of Indian society. The bill focused on providing 10 per cent reservation in jobs and higher education to the general category poor.

Considering the bill, it was decided that all educational institutions including ones in the medical field, will offer the EWS quota in the General Category.

To facilitate the decision, the Medical Council of India (MCI) had issued a circular to respective medical education departments, medical universities of the states running GMCs under its jurisdiction; directing them to furnish necessary information in the given format so that the 10 % EWS quota can be implemented at these concerned institutes.

Read Also: NEET 2019 Breaking News: EWS Quota Implemented; 10 per cent more MBBS seats at Medical Colleges

According to media reports, the Kerala government had issued a consent letter granting permission to eight non-minority self-financing medical colleges to apply for the EWS quota. Since none of the 10 self-financing medical colleges having minority status was mentioned in the circular, it gathered flak from the medical colleges.

The government then issued another letter where it mentioned names of 14 private medical colleges including minority status asking them to apply for an increase in the MBBS seats under the EWS quota, reports the Hindu.

Strangely, consent was provided to Kerala Medical College at Cherupplassery and SR Medical College and Research Centre at Varkala that had been denied approval by the MCI and the Kerala University of Health Sciences.

The government later noted that the quota applies only to the government medical colleges, another circular was issued to invalidate the previous consent notifications.

The circular made it clear that the self-financing colleges would have to approach the MCI for ensuring the 10 per EWS quota, quotes the Deccan Chronicle.

Read Also: MCI moves to implement 10 percent EWS quota in medical colleges, Asks States to submit Seat Matrix