Tamil Nadu: State Board to get 63% medical seats

Chennai: The Wednesday release of the NEET based merit list, in all certainty, has put to rest the state’s fears that students from the CBSE stream would take away a major slot of MBBS and BDS seats, as against the state board entrants.

According to the Directorate of Medical Education(DME), analysis, out of the nearly 3,530 seats in the government quota, State Board students are likely to get 2,220 seats; while the remaining 1,310 will go the other boards way; This implies that 63% of the seats will be filled by the State Board students.

Of the 2,220 students, State Board students, numbering at 1281 or 60% strength, are from the current academic year.

Out of the top 20, only 5 are from the state board, and all of them are girls.

Counselling for special categories like disabilities, sportspersons, and wards of ex-servicemen, will commence from Thursday. According to officials, 48 entrants have been called to contest for 20 seats. This year shall see the beginning of a 5% reservation for the disabled.

The self-financing medical college’s management quota merit list for seats was also released. The government quota topper, Santhosh R. from Hosur, reflected a score of 656; while, Jaee Milind Naik of Hyderabad, of the self-financing management quota category, scored 655 marks.

The State’s total of 3,534 seats includes those in self-financing colleges and the Rajah Muthiah Medical College. After the All India Quota counselling, a total of 102 seats has been surrendered to the State.

Counselling for general category begins on Friday and will end on September 4; the last date permitted by the Supreme Court to complete the process, said Health Secretary, J. Radhakrishnan, who also released the merit list.

The state also offers a total of 1,198 dental seats including 85 in the government dental college reports The Hindu