Maharashtra CET cell releases seat matrix for PG medical courses, students point at discrepancies in quota seats

While admission dates are yet to be released, students and parents have pointed at discrepancies in the quota seats yet again.

Even as the union human resource development (HRD) ministry and respective state governments have delayed entrance exams and the admissions process for higher education courses for the time being, the state Common Entrance test (CET) cell late on Wednesday released the seat matrix for post graduate medical courses.

Students are now planning to approach the Supreme Court despite the ongoing lockdown. (HT file)

While admission dates are yet to be released, students and parents have pointed at discrepancies in the quota seats yet again. Despite an overall increase of 150 seats in PG courses this year, many have pointed that most popular courses have got fewer than three new seats across medical institutes and what’s worse is that even after a Supreme Court order clarifying that the economically weaker section (EWS) quota should only be implemented after increasing seats by at least 10%, the order is being flouted, said parents.

Students are now planning to approach the Supreme Court despite the ongoing lockdown.

“Maximum seat increase in government-run medical institutes (GMCs) are in non clinical branches and yet, EWS is applicable on all branches. Due to this, students in the open category are left with fewer seats compared to last year despite increase in seats in 2020-21,” said Sudha Shenoy, activist and parent of a medical student.

In January this year, the Medical Council of India (MCI) approved new seats in medical institutes across the country, including 150 new seats in Maharashtra based institutes. Experts however, have pointed out that the distribution of these news seats gives very little advantage to students as all seats in clinical courses (surgery, paediatrics, and medicine), which are more in demand have been allotted to private medical institutes whereas the GMCs have got non-clinical seats (microbiology, physiology, social and & preventive medicine) that attract very few takers.

“Private Institutes tend to charge more fees, which students can’t afford and GMCs are giving no respite to our students either. With the lockdown in place, we are not even sure if the court will accept our petition now,” said a PG medical aspirant. Students had finished the online registration process in February itself but due to the lockdown, the rest of the admissions process has been stuck in limbo.