THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government pooled back 117 vacant NRI seats to general merit category in a swift move on Friday to wrap up the tortuous process of MBBS admissions in self-financing medical colleges, hours after the end of Supreme Court’s August 31 deadline for admission closure. Private managements threatened to approach the court against the Government’s “arbitrary” decision but officials stood the ground, saying the Government decision earmarking NRI seats into general category would not be revoked. There is now a belated feeling among management circles that it is better to heed Health Minister K.K. Shylaja’s appeal and desist from further litigation.
At the spot admission venue at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, parents and wards, who sat overnight, were agitated over the lack of clarity over bank guarantee despite the State Government assurance to banks. Many of them were getting ready for the BDS spot admissions, starting Saturday and set to conclude by Sunday. MES president Fazal Gafoor said the Government should have sought the court’s permission before taking over the NRI quota, pegged at '20 lakh a seat. How come the students expected to fill up the NRI seats ( at '5 lakh and guarantee of '6 lakh) had there been not a tacit understanding that the Government would resort to the “extreme step” at the eleventh hour, he asked.
Ms Shylaja thanked her staff, especially Commissioner for Entrance Examinations M.T. Reju, for winding up admissions in time, though marred by much rancour and litigation. She said the Opposition had targeted her and the CEE, alleging there had been a Government-management plot to botch the admissions. The fact was managements had refused to cooperate with the State Government and approached the courts. As a result, the CEE had to revise orders several times to comply with the court directive, she said.
Mr Reju said this was the first time all seats were filled by the CEE, based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The final hours of spot admissions on August 30-31 were tiresome as candidates returned with queries to the counselling table repeatedly. He said the MBBS intake was from ranks up to 47,796. Out of a total 1,714 seats at the tail-end spot admissions, 1,088 seats belonged to the MBBS course. The general category stretched to rank no 11,551, SC up to 12,617 and ST 25,594 and NRI 45,709.
