Deemed varsities turn down plea for government quota seats

June 01, 2010 09:39 am | Updated 09:39 am IST - BANGALORE:

Deemed medical universities in the State have turned down the Government's request for allotment of some percentage of medical seats to the Government in their colleges.

Minister for Medical Education Ramachandra Gowda told presspersons here on Monday that the department had held four rounds of talks with managements of eight deemed universities in the State and appealed them to allot at least 27 per cent of seats for students under the government quota. But the managements rejected the Government's plea citing a Supreme Court judgment which ruled that the Government has no role in the admission of students in deemed university colleges.

The State Law Ministry has clarified that deemed universities do not come under the purview of the Government, and [that they] were empowered to fill all their seats by themselves. Following this, the Government has proposed to amend the existing law in the State to direct deemed medical universities to provide admission to students under the government quota.

In the proposed amended law, the Government has decided to ask colleges that they leave at least 27 per cent of the seats to be filled by the State. The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) has provided 42 per cent seats and minority institutions have reserved 27 per cent seats in their medical colleges for the Government to fill, Mr. Gowda said.

The University Grants Commission has granted deemed university status to Kolar-based Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE University, Belgaum, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, and five other colleges in the State.

Mr. Gowda said that private medical colleges have agreed to reserve four per cent of seats for physically challenged students and three per cent for NCC students. A total of 40 and 10 medical seats are available for the physically challenged and NCC students. Counselling for medical students would start from June 3, he said.

78 seats

Meanwhile, Manipal University, it turns out, will be the only deemed university in the State to allot seats to the Government in Kasturba Medical Colleges in Mangalore and Manipal for the CET to fill up.

Manipal University's Pro Chancellor H.S. Ballal told The Hindu that Manipal University will allot 54 seats in its medical college at Mangalore and 24 seats in Manipal.

Meanwhile, sources in CET Cell said that the number of medical seats available under government quota could come down by around 80 this year. Last year, Yenepoya Medical College and K.S. Hegde Medical Academy among the deemed universities had allotted medical seats to be filled by CET. “If they are among the list of deemed universities refusing to allot medical seats to the Government, we will have fewer seats,” the sources added.

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