PwD quota doesn’t exist at Parel medical institute, says PG aspirant

An aspirant for a postgraduate diploma has called to notice that the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), in Parel, does not have a person with disability (PwD)

An aspirant for a postgraduate diploma has called to notice that the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), in Parel, does not have a person with disability (PwD) quota. It is mandatory by law for educational institutions to keep 5% of its total seats under the PwD quota. However, CPS has said it does not come under purview of this rule.

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Dr Swapnil Jadhav cleared MBBS under the PwD quota in 2014 and wants to pursue a diploma in radiology and electrology. However, having approached CPS several times over the past six weeks, Dr Jadhav has learnt it doesn’t have a PwD quota. “This despite a Supreme Court order which makes PwD quota mandatory in all government institutions offering higher education,” he said.

Recently, Dr Jadhav approached the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). Last week, NCPEDP sent a letter to CPS, recommending Dr Jadhav be admitted under the PwD quota as per section 32 of the Rights of Persons with Disability (RPwD) Act (2016), which provides for mandatory reservation of seats for PwD candidates in all higher education institutes. “The College of Physicians and Surgeons falls within the mandate of section 32 of the RPwD Act. Despite being a distinguished academic institution, it has neglected to fulfil its statutory obligations and the admission brochure for 2019-20 does not show any reservation being provided to PwD candidates,” states the letter dated June 19. NCPEDP further requests CPS to take urgent steps to comply with the RPwD Act.

However, CPS has said the law is not applicable to it since CPS is a non-aided institute. “Only those institutes that follow admissions based on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scores or through the state common entrance test (CET) cell follow quota rules. Since we are non-aided, these quotas don’t apply to us,” said Dr Girish Maindarkar, president, CPS. He said the institute is yet to decide on how and when to implement NCPEDP’s recommendation. “We have a meeting scheduled for July 3 where we will discuss and decide how to act on the recommendations. For now, students interested in applying to our institute need to wait for the prospectus that will soon be released,” Maindarkar said.