PG medical students can surrender all-India quota seats till May 18

Admissions to post-graduate medical seats have already begun but ahead of the release of the first seat allocation list in the state, the Medical Counseling Committee

Admissions to post-graduate medical seats have already begun but ahead of the release of the first seat allocation list in the state, the Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) on Tuesday said that students now have time till May 18 to surrender their all India quota (AIQ) seats.

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PG medical aspirants in Maharashtra were worried about having to surrender their AIQ seats even before being assured of the release of the state seat allocation list. The AIQ seats are15% of the total seats in each state and students from outside a particular state can apply for these places.

“Keeping in view that many state counsellings have been delayed due to Covid-19 outbreak, it has been decided that students who were allotted a college in round one (of AIQ) can resign from their allotted seats by 5pm on May 18,” stated a circular released by MCC. The original date for surrendering seats was May 12, 5pm.

As per rules, PG medical aspirants who have already bagged a seat through the AIQ have a choice to either stick to the institute already allotted through AIQ, or release the seat in the hope of a seat in another institute under the state quota. At present, the status of the first list by the state common entrance test (CET) cell is uncertain because CET cell authorities are still reworking the seat matrix, said an official.

“As per law, the AIQ seats are allocated first and if students want to be eligible for state quota seat, they have to surrender their AIQ seat. Anyone would prefer a seat in one of the top Institutes in Maharashtra but the uncertainty of the first CET list is unnerving,” said Rishabh Jain, a PG medical aspirant from Mumbai.

In a circular released late in the third week of April, the state CET cell had requested state medical and dental institutes to share contact details of staff handling admissions and also make arrangements for a payment portal online so that students can pay the fees and confirm admissions once the seat allotment list is released on April 24, after 6pm. This process was held by the Bombay high court following a petition that highlighted discrepancies in quota allocation of seats.

“Once the seat matrix is ready, we will release a seat allocation list and students will have the option of completing the admission process online this time, appropriate provisions have been made accordingly,” added the CET cell official.