Guv for online MBBS entrance

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The issue of sale of MBBS seats in private medical colleges under the management quota has taken a new turn with the Governor and Chancellor of universities, E.S.L. Narasimhan, asking the state government to consider online admissions under the government’s supervision. Private medical colleges, however, are against any interference by the government in filling management quota seats. They have already started lobbying with the government to implement any changes in admission procedure from the next academic year (2013-14) arguing that most colleges have already closed management quota admissions for this year.

Mr Narasimhan, who has taken a dim view of the selling of MBBS seats as reported in the media, had asked minister for medical education Kondru Murali and senior officials of the department to explore options for adopting the online method to fill management quota seats, supervised by the government, to ensure that merit and transparency prevail and to check the auctioning of seats.

Mr Narasimhan is said to have expressed shock over the sale of MBBS seats in the state, for as much as Rs 60 lakh in some cases. These ‘donations’, as they are called, are generally lower in other states — about Rs 5 lakh per annum. “The governor made certain suggestions with regard to admissions und-er the management quota in medical colleges. We are discussing the issue, which will be referred to the Chief Minister,” Mr Kondru Murali said.

If the online admissions method comes into force, merit students will be assured seats and will pay fees of only Rs 5.5 lakh per annum as prescribed by the Admissions and Fee Regulatory Committee. The government will directly receive applications from students, conduct online counselling along the lines of Eamcet medical counselling, and allot seats on merit. Private colleges are willing to surrender 40 per cent of the management seats to the government if it fixes a uniform fee of Rs 7 lakh per annum for all the 100 per cent seats.

At present, 50 per cent of seats (category-A) and 10 per cent of seats (category-B) are filled on the basis of the Eamcet results, for a fee of Rs 60,000 and Rs 2,40,000 per annum respectively. The college managements are allowed to fill the remaining 40 per cent seats (category-C) for a fee of Rs 5.5 lakh per annum. It is these 40 per cent seats that the colleges are selling illegally for as much as Rs 70 lakh.