Row over micro-reservation hits MBBS/BDS admissions

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 22

Already delayed by two weeks, the result of the first counselling for 1,135 MBBS seats in eight medical colleges has once again been put on hold over the demand for micro-reservation in management quota seats in private medical and dental colleges.

On July 18, the state had decided to extend micro-reservation for sportspersons and children/grandchildren of the 1984 riot victims to government quota seats in private colleges. Now, there is a demand for a similar reservation in management quota seats too. Of the 550 MBBS seats in four private medical colleges, 350 seats are in management quota.

Demanding the reservation, some students have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. With this additional reservation, there would be shortfall of about 40 MBBS seats for the open category students.

Till the pendency of decision on the matter, Baba Farid University of Health Science (BFUHS) has decided to keep the result of the first counselling in abeyance.

The result was scheduled to be announced on July 8 but due to the controversy over the condition of Class X exam passing from Punjab and now the micro reservation in private colleges, the BFUHS is forced to hold the result, said a senior BFUHS functionary.

Interestingly, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has already released the seat allotment result for second round of NEET counselling for all India quota seats. The MCC conducts counseling for 75 MBBS seats of three government colleges in Punjab under the all-India quota. A candidate who has been allotted a seat by the MCC has to join the allotted seat by July 25, otherwise his security deposit would be forfeited.

As the result of the first counselling has been delayed, it is a loss for many high-ranking students who want to take admission on state quota seats in Punjab, but they are being forced to join on all-India quota seats due to the uncertainty. “We have to join on MCC allotted seat before July 25 outside Punjab to emerge from this uncertainty,” said one of the students of Punjab, who got a seat in Madhya Pradesh under the all-India quota.

Who all to benefit

• The government had extended reservation for sportspersons and children/grandchildren of the anti-Sikh riot victims, called micro-reservation, to government quota seats in private colleges

• Now, there is a demand for a similar reservation in mgmt quota seats too

• If implemented, it will create a shortfall of about 40 MBBS seats for open category students