Medical admissions: Haryana prevails over Mullana; Punjab’s free hand to Adesh
Haryana didn’t allow Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical University, Mullana, to conduct its own counselling for the MBBS/BDS seats and decide its fee, but Punjab gave a free hand eventually to Bathinda’s Adesh University.
Haryana didn’t allow Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical University, Mullana, to conduct its own counselling for the MBBS/BDS seats and decide its fee, but Punjab gave a free hand eventually to Bathinda’s Adesh University.
Last month, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had told all states to conduct combined counselling for the medical and dental seats, even in deemed universities, to aspirants from exploitation by the private unaided institutes. Haryana’s medical education department issued the counselling notice to all its institutes, including the Mullana university.
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Even as the university moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking to stay out of combined counselling, it failed to get any relief, as the state argued its case well. The Haryana notice issued on Monday states that after the court had declined the university’s petition on September 7, the admission to the private medical institute will be through combined counselling on September 14 and 15. It also clarified that the university fee will remain as last year’s.
In Punjab on the other hand, Adesh university not only hiked its fee for the 5-years MBBS course by Rs 18 lakh (from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 58 lakh) but also held its own counselling. Of the 150 seats, it had filled nearly 90 by the initial round last week.
Medical education secretary Vikas Partap explained that since it was a private autonomous university under the state Act, it was free to do its own intake and fix its own fee. Admission seekers there recently had faced a lot of harassment reportedly, as the university sought Rs 3-lakh bank guarantee, beside Rs 1.8 lakh as development charges. The hostel fee is close of Rs 1.5 lakh a year, for shared room.
Chandigarh-based pre-medical test trainer Dr Arvind Goyal said the laws in Haryana were more in favour of parents and candidates but not so in Punjab. “It’s sad that despite the Centre’s instructions, the Punjab government found a way out to allow Adesh to conduct its own counselling and ignore its manifold increase in fee,” he said.