Vacant NRI-quota MBBS seats in Punjab colleges to be given to general category

The aspiring medical students of general category should be happy. Almost 90% of the NRI-quota MBBS seats in three government medical colleges that are set to fall vacant during the separate counselling on September 15 will come to them.

The aspiring medical students of general category should be happy. Almost 90% of the NRI-quota MBBS seats in three government medical colleges that are set to fall vacant during the separate counselling on September 15 will come to them.

The 15% quota for the NRIs makes it 75 reserved seats in the government colleges — 15 in Faridkot and 30 each in Patiala and Amritsar. And only seven NRIs qualified in the August 9 separate test. So 68 seats might be added to the general pool. Allotment starts September 16.

“All the vacant NRI seats, whether in the government or private colleges, will be converted to general-pool seats and allotted to qualifying students during the counselling,” director of medical education and research Dr Manjit Kaur Mohi confirmed here on Monday. A few NRI students who qualified also secured admissions elsewhere.

In pvt colleges, 60% seats to fall vacant

It’s not just in the government colleges. At least 60% of the 74 seats in private colleges also don’t have qualifying candidates. The admission there was to be based on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The provisional merit list on the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) website shows up only 28 NRI candidates in private medical and dental colleges. The qualifying score of 50% proved too tough.

The principal of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar, Kulbir Kaur, said that the vacant NRI seats in private colleges could go to the general-pool management quota. “Since the NRIs pay a higher fee, private colleges will lose revenue, but what can be done when the candidates don’t qualify,” she said.

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