After UT administration’s decision to remove all exemptions for wards of defence personnel under the “UT pool” category, a move also upheld by the Supreme Court, only two students have got admission under the defence category in the MBBS course at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.
Last year, there were 20 admissions in the category, of which 15 students did not meet the UT pool eligibility criteria, but got admission due to exemptions for wards of defence personnel. Similarly, three such students got admission in the 2020-21 session.
But after some people challenged this in the Punjab and Haryana high court last year, UT, on July 15 this year, came out with a notification allowing admissions under UT pool only to wards of defence personnel who had permanent residence in Chandigarh at the time of entry into service.
After the criteria changed, only two wards of defence personnel applied for MBBS admission for the 2022-23 academic session and both got admission under UT pool after counselling ended on Friday. Both students’ parents had permanent residence in Chandigarh at the time of entry into service.
According to GMCH-32’s academic branch, the college took the requisite certificate from both students as proof, which was signed by a competent authority from defence and proved their permanent residency status.
{{/usCountry}}According to GMCH-32’s academic branch, the college took the requisite certificate from both students as proof, which was signed by a competent authority from defence and proved their permanent residency status.
{{/usCountry}}UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “The UT administration changed the criteria to give equal opportunity to wards of defence personnel having residency in Chandigarh. The earlier exemptions were increasing unnecessary competition for UT pool candidates, as the defence wards were also eligible through the central pool, while students from Chandigarh got no other opportunity.”
For eligibility under UT pool, the candidate must have completed Classes 10, 11 and 12 from schools or colleges recognised by the UT administration and situated in the city. But candidates whose parents are residents of Chandigarh for the past five years, immediately preceding the date of application, are eligible, even if they do not meet the first criterion.
As per the third criteria, candidates whose parents are government employees in the city or central government/state government employees on deputation to Chandigarh are also eligible.
In 2007, the UT home department had waived the domiciliary restrictions of minimum stay in Chandigarh and condition of passing Classes 10 to 12 from the city in respect of wards of serving defence personnel and ex-servicemen seeking admission in UT institutions. A year later, the administration had decided to provide admissions to the wards of service defence personnel at GMCH-32 under 85% UT pool quota.
146 out of 150 MBBS seats filled
GMCH-32 is the only college in Chandigarh offering an MBBS course. Out of the total 150 MBBS seats at the college, 15% are for all-India quota or central pool and the remaining 85% (115 ) fall under UT pool, which are filled locally by the admission committee as per the criteria fixed by the UT administration.
Following counselling, which was conducted at GMCH-32 on October 27 and 28, all 115 seats in UT pool have been filled. Also, 22 seats under central pool and nine seats in NRI quota, which is also a part of the central pool, have also been filled. Now, only four central pool seats are available for which another round of counselling will be held in November.