Top

Andhra Pradesh Ministers fight over NRI seats

P. Narayana is trying to stop Kamineni Srinivas’s proposal to create a NRI quota in Padmavathi Medical College

Hyderabad: Two Andhra Pradesh ministers seem to be working at cross purposes. Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana is trying to stop the Medical and Health Minister, Kamineni Srinivas’s proposal to create a NRI quota in Padmavathi Medical College in Tirupathi.

Mr Srinivas wants to reserve 40 per cent as NRI quota in Padmavathi Medical College with Rs 12 lakh fee for each seat. He has submitted the proposal to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for a decision. According to highly placed sources in the wake of the proposal Mr Narayana tried to pressurise Mr Srinivas to drop the idea. Minister Narayana has two medical colleges.

In Padmavathi Medical College all the 150 seats are filled in the convener quota with around '10,000 for each seat. The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam is running the college and spending '25 crore an annum. The Health Minister feels that the TTD is spending the money provided by devotees and wants to reduce its burden by introducing the NRI quota. In government medical colleges 60 per cent of the seats are filled in the convener quota, while 40 per cent of the seats are in the NRI quota. This means 60 seats, will come under the NRI quota in Padmavathi Medical College.

Minister Narayana has a medical college in Nellore and it has 300 seats. Recently the Narayana educational institutions took over the private medical college in Srikakulam and it has 150 seats. Generally private medical colleges collect '50 to 75 lakh and in some cases '1 crore for an NRI seat. If the Padmavathi Medical College introduces the NRI quota with a fee of '12 lakh for each seat, many medical students will join the college and Narayana Medical College may lose some seats and corresponding income.

In Narayana Medical College in the NRI quota and management quota, there are 120 seats and the demand for the college will come down once Padmavathi Medical College introduces the NRI quota with 60 seats. Mr Narayana is trying to stop the Health Minister’s proposal keeping this in mind. The decision of the CM is pending. Mr Narayana is close to N. Chandrababu Naidu.

( Source : dc )
Next Story