Telangana Medical Fraternity Opposes NRI Quota

Hyderabad: Taking a cue from neighbouring Karnataka, Telangana could consider introducing a quota for non-resident Indians in medical colleges in view of a significant diaspora. Experts, however, warn that it would take away opportunities from students belonging to marginalised backgrounds as government medical colleges remain the only affordable gateway into the profession.

The Karnataka government has allocated 450 newly sanctioned MBBS seats for 2025-26 for NRIs, each priced at Rs 25 lakh. Officials pitched it as a way to generate revenue without cutting into existing state or all-India quota seats.

“This is a move towards the commercialisation of medical education in India,” said Dr. Bandari Rajkumar, senior HRDA Representative. He noted that such a model could marginalise meritorious students from middle-class and rural backgrounds who depend on government colleges. At the same time, if transparently managed, the funds could help strengthen underfunded medical colleges and hospitals.

In Telangana, the NRI pathway is currently restricted to private unaided colleges, where 15 per cent of seats (under Category C) are reserved for NRIs at fees ranging from Rs 20-25 lakh per year. Government colleges, however, have been kept firmly outside such high-fee structures.

With the Supreme Court recently upholding the state’s four-year study rule for local quotas, policymakers have consistently defended government medical seats as the most affordable option for locals.

“Karnataka’s move is not a good one, as there are so many students in India who struggle for years to get into medical colleges. If there is any scope for governments to increase seats, then the benefit should go to these students. For a student from a marginalised background, government colleges are the only hope,” said Dr. Ajay Goud, President, TJUDA.

Introducing an NRI quota in Telangana’s government colleges would not only require approval from the National Medical Commission but also involve steep political costs.

“A similar attempt was previously made in the combined Andhra Pradesh for one batch, allocating five per cent of seats to NRIs, but it was later withdrawn,” said Dr. Kiran Madhala, general secretary, Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA).

“Karnataka’s situation is different, as all government medical colleges there are semi-autonomous. However, the context in Telangana is entirely different, where medical colleges are fully funded by the government. Applying the same principle here is challenging and may adversely impact the chances of aspirants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Governments are already spending less than two per cent of GDP on public health, while the world average remains at 10 per cent. For a decade, Gandhi and Osmania medical colleges in Hyderabad were also neglected,” he added.