After several rounds of talks, the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) has permitted the State government to go ahead with admissions for undergraduate courses in the veterinary colleges in Bidar, Hassan and Shimoga in the present academic year (2013-14). Admission to Veterinary College, Bangalore, has already been completed.
Minister for Animal Husbandry T.B. Jayachandra, who was in Delhi for the past two days, told presspersons here on Thursday that the VCI has, in principle, given permission to the government to begin admissions.
Each college offers 60 seats and students will gain admission through the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s CET. “The admission process will commence soon,” he said.
Mr. Jayachandra held talks with Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar and VCI officials in Delhi and sought permission from the VCI to begin admissions. Only after government gave an undertaking that it would provide all required infrastructure in the three colleges in the next one year did the VCI give the nod, he said. A three-member inspection team of the VCI, led by S.C. Misra visited the colleges last February and inspected facilities. Poor infrastructure was the main reason why the VCI had held back admissions.
The colleges have given an undertaking that buildings, hospitals and laboratories would be constructed soon. The government set up these colleges in 2007 to address the shortage of veterinary surgeons in the State.
240 seats
More than 5,000 candidates apply every year for the 240 seats in the four veterinary colleges in the State.
