Govt scraps EWS quota in private medical colleges

Maharashtra scrapped the EWS quota in private medical colleges after parents protested, ensuring merit-based access without increasing seat numbers.

MUMBAI: The state government has scrapped the contentious EWS quota in private medical colleges, after fierce opposition from parents who refused to back down. The 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) was introduced in undergraduate courses, in the general category, without a corresponding increase in the number of seats. This would shrink the number of seats available on merit, currently just 3,500.

(Representative Image) The state government has scrapped the contentious EWS quota in private medical colleges, after fierce opposition from parents who refused to back down. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

The quota was introduced with no formal announcement; it was merely mentioned in the admission brochure released by the state Common Entrance Test (CET) cell before admissions began recently, a rude shock to parents and students alike.

Parents had sent emails to state medical education minister Hasan Mushrif, and then, along with education activists, met Mushrif on Tuesday to protest the implementation of the reservation.

On Wednesday, the state medical education department walked back the decision to implement the quota. It said the EWS reservation would not be implemented in private medical colleges unless seat capacity increased, a move that aligns with the central government’s original 2019 approach.

Activist Sudha Shenoy, part of the delegation who met the minister, said, “It is now clear that the government is not applying EWS reservation in private medical colleges unless seats increase as per the Supreme Court order.”

Another activist, Brijesh Sutaria, said, “This is a welcome decision. It protects merit-based access while preserving the intent of social justice. It is a balanced and constitutionally sound approach that other states should also consider.”