NEET-PG counselling for 45,000 seats from January 12: Health Ministry

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 9

In a much-awaited move, the Ministry of Health on Sunday said the process of counselling for admission to NEET-PG (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, Postgraduate) courses would start from January 12.

The NEET-PG was held on September 11 last after being rescheduled twice and counselling was to start in October after the declaration of results.

The process was stalled after a slew of petitions in the Supreme Court challenged the July 29, 2021, notification of the government. The notification provided 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes and 10 per cent to Economically Weaker Sections in All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme of the Centre for undergraduate and postgraduate medical, dental courses from the academic year 2021-22.

The petitions challenged the applicability of Rs 8-lakh annual income limit for the EWS beneficiaries while calling for merit-based admissions with minimum reservation in medical PG courses. The Supreme Court on Friday passed an interim order allowing the reservations and said there was an urgent need to commence counselling.

“In accordance with the assurance given to resident doctors by the Health Ministry and following the Supreme Court orders, the Medical Counselling Committee will commence counselling for NEET-PG admissions from January 12. This will boost India’s efforts to fight Covid-19. Congratulations to all aspirants,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted today.

On July 29 last year, the Centre had announced 27 per cent and 10 per cent reservation (for both UG and PG courses) for students taking admission against all-India quota seats in the state-level medical and dental colleges.

The AIQ Scheme was introduced in 1986 under the directions of the Supreme Court to provide domicile-free, merit-based opportunities to students from any state aspiring to study in a good medical college located in another state. The AIQ consists of 15 per cent of the total available UG and 50 per cent of the total available postgraduate seats in government medical colleges. Initially, there was no reservation in the AIQ Scheme up to 2007. In 2007, the SC introduced a reservation of 15 per cent for SCs and 7.5 per cent for STs in the AIQ Scheme.

When the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act became effective in 2007 providing for uniform 27 per cent reservation to OBCs, the same was implemented in Central Educational Institutions, namely Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University and others. But this was not extended to the AIQ seats of state medical and dental colleges. The July 29, 2021, notification filled the gap.

The decision will annually benefit 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in PG courses, besides 550 EWS students in MBBS and 1,000 EWS students in PG courses.

With the counselling set to commence, medical colleges will have a fresh pool of NEET-PG students to be enlisted in the fight against Covid-19.

Resident doctors across various colleges had been protesting the delay in NEET-PG counselling. Nearly 45,000 seats will be filled through the counselling.

Was stalled after quota row

• In an interim order on Jan 7, the SC allowed counselling for postgrad medical seats
• NEET-PG exam was held on September 11, 2021
• The counselling process was stalled after petitions in the SC challenged the applicability of Rs8-lakh income limit for EWS quota
• Resident doctors last month held protests, demanding expeditious counselling
• Nearly 45,000 seats are to be filled through counselling

Will boost efforts to combat Covid

The Medical Counselling Committee will commence counselling from January 12. This will boost India’s efforts to fight Covid. Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister