The Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC), the nodal agency for facilitating admission to professional courses, has come out with the rank-list for medical, engineering and other higher education streams for the academic year 2014-14 in the Puducherry region.
Announcing the top ranks for various professional streams, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy told a news conference that counselling for admissions would begin on June 20.
The top three ranks in B.Tech. courses were bagged by E. Priyangaa (Lawspet), B. Barath (Navashakthi Nagar) and M. Lakshmi (Rajaji Nagar).
The toppers in the B. Pharm. degree courses were D. Kowsalya (Villianur Commune), S. Sharumathi (Ilango Nagar) and A. Poonguzhali (Villianur) while the first three spots in biology based degree courses were bagged by Amal Vincent (Mahe), M. Anandavel (Jeevanandam Street) and B. Pasupathi Raj (Muthirayarpalayam).
Of the total of 3,957 candidates who applied for biology-based courses, 3,885 were eligible while 5,228 students of the 5,312 students who applied for engineering courses qualified. Of the 1,830 candidates who applied for B. Pharm degree courses, 1,799 students were found eligible.
There were 7,571 applicants, including 6,793 students from Puducherry region, 760 from other States and 18 from Goa.
On the issue of MCI recognition for the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, the Chief Minister was optimistic that the hurdles would be removed and the MBBS admissions would be held as per schedule.
“We have filled the vacancies in faculty through additional recruitments of 33 associate professors and assistant professors besides bringing about other improvements so that the institution is eligible to apply for MCI recognition,” Mr. Rangasamy said.
“We’ll secure recognition for the medical college in time for the commencement of admissions,” said an optimistic Chief Minister. Asked why such a crisis situation could not have been averted, Mr. Rangasamy said it was not uncommon for medical institutions to fall out of line with MCI criteria. He sought to dismiss the MCI recognition as “teething troubles” for an institution which was set up four years ago.
This year in particular, the announcement of Lok Sabha elections had virtually halted faculty recruitments, he added.
Re-inspectionHealth Secretary Ragesh Chandra is scheduled to leave for Delhi on Tuesday to sort out remaining issues and clear the ground for a re-inspection by the MCI which had recommended de-recognition for the medical college based on an earlier inspection in April.
On the alleged failure of the Government to wrest more MBBS seats from its rightful share of half the near 900 seats available at the seven self-financing medical colleges–for two successive years the tally has been 265 seats---the Chief Minister said the Government was negotiating for a higher share.
In fact, one institution that had stayed away from a recent high-level meeting he had convened, is learnt to have gone to court purportedly to retain more minority quota seats with its management.
