Senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Health Minister T. Harish Rao requested the State government to take steps to ensure 100% of the convenor quota seats for local students in medical colleges in the State and also give clarity on the local status in case of medical education.
In a statement, Mr. Harish Rao said on Saturday that there was a need to clarify the local status in medical college admissions as the process was scheduled to commence in the third week of June. Otherwise, the students of Telangana would suffer heavy loss.
Of the 20 medical colleges that were established in Telangana before formation of the State, there were 1,900 seats in the competent authority quota out of total seats of 2,850. Of the 1,900 seats, 15% seats (280) were in the unreserved category (quota) and the Telangana students would lose them if necessary steps were not taken to reserve them. Similarly, they would also lose 150 post graduate (PG) seats in the NIMS and other medical colleges.
It was unfortunate that the Congress government was neglecting the matter although the commencement of process of admission to the under graduate (MBBS) and post graduate (MD) courses was fast approaching. As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act provisions, the students of A.P. too were allowed to compete for the 15% convenor quota seats along with Telangana students since 2014. If continued, Telangana students would also lose another 520 seats under the 15% quota in the newly established medical colleges.
To stop such an adverse scenario, the State government was required to limit the 15% unreserved quota only to the medical colleges established before formation of the State, he suggested. The BRS government in the past had issued orders amending the medical/dental colleges admission rules within the purview of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and Article 371-D and accordingly, 100% seats under the competitive authority quota were going only to Telangana students in new medical colleges set up after June 2, 2014.
“Now that the AP Reorganisation Act provisions would expire on June 2 in certain matters, including medical college admissions, there was need to ensure 100% of the convenor quota seats for Telangana students by taking necessary steps,” Mr. Harish Rao said. The number of MBBS seats had increased from 2,850 in 20 medical colleges at the time of State formation to 8,340 in 56 colleges now, he noted.