Tamil Nadu will register its opposition to the proposed common counselling for admission to medical courses with the Union Health Minister. If the Union government continues to stand its ground, the State government will consider taking legal action, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Monday.
Shortly after the 187th Graduates Reception Day at Madras Medical College (MMC), he told reporters that they had sought an appointment to meet the Union Health Minister in Delhi to seek withdrawal of the proposal for common counselling for admission to medical seats across the country.
The Medical Counselling Committee, in a communication dated March 13, said that to simplify counselling process and to reduce seat blocking by candidate/college/institute, it was proposed, in consultation with National Medical Commission (NMC), to have a common counselling for 50% All India Quota (AIQ) seats and 50% State quota in post-graduation and 15% AIQ and 85% State quota seats in UG courses. NMC’s new regulations have outlined common counselling for admission to graduate courses in medicine for all medical institutions based on the merit list of NEET-UG.
The Minister recalled that after the communication on the common counselling was received last month, former Health Secretary P. Senthil Kumar immediately wrote a letter to the Union government objecting to it, stating a number of reasons including how it would reduce the role of States in the process.
“Last week, we got an oral communication from Delhi, that there will be no common counselling this year. Still, we will take appropriate measures if the Union government is keen on bringing common counselling in the forthcoming years,” he said.
Common counselling would have a huge effect, he said, adding that Tamil Nadu has been implementing 7.5% reservation in medical education for government school students that benefitted nearly 580 students last year. “The common counselling could take away such opportunities from students. It could also come in the way of Tamil Nadu students getting admissions in top medical colleges such as MMC and Government Stanley Medical College,” he said.
He added that he, along with the Health Secretary, are likely to visit Delhi to meet the Minister after the inauguration of the Kalaignar Memorial Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Guindy, on June 15. “We will first raise the demand with the Union Health Minister to arrive at a solution. If the Union government continues to push, we will consider legal action,” he said.
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekar Babu and Chennai Mayor R. Priya took part in the graduation day. Director of Medical Education R. Shanthimalar and MMC dean E. Theranirajan were present on the occasion.
