NEET-PG Open Merit quota slashed to 29%

Srinagar, Dec 3: The New Reservation Policy in J&K has evoked widespread condemnations as the ongoing MD and MS counselling process faces criticism for drastically reducing the number of seats available under the open merit category.

The aspirants argue that the lopsided quotas for various reserved categories undermine merit and brew concern of impacting healthcare delivery.

The result of the first round of counselling for NEET-PG was released last week.

Of the 293 PG seats in various medical colleges of J&K, available for counselling by J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations, only 87 aspirants belonging to unreserved category have made it to the list.

In terms of percentage share, only 29 percent of seats in the J&K counselling process have been allocated to Open Merit candidates, a drastic reduction compared to previous years.

As per the brochure of NEET-PG by Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (J&K BOPEE), 113 out of the total seats were available for OM candidates.

In 2019, 25 percent of seats of J&K in NEET-PG were reserved for various categories, while 75 percent of seats were available for Open Merit.

In 2022, J&K introduced reforms in reservation percentages through 1SO-176, which skimmed the OM seats, practically ending up at 38.5 percent, after incorporating horizontal reservation.

In addition, as per Rule 17 (allotment of seats), a candidate from a reserved category, if they score more than Open Merit cut-off, could claim a seat from Open Merit quota, and vacate the category seat for another candidate in a reserved category.

“After many candidates of reserved categories being selected on open merit seats, the effective selection of OM candidates was 29.6 percent after the first round of counseling,” the aspirants said.

Chairperson BOPEE, Prof Minu Mahajan said the board was committed to working in the interest of students.

“We are not deviating from the policies and rules laid down by the government. Every list is fully compliant with the reservation rules in vogue,” she said.

Controller Examinations BOPEE, G R Verma said the board was bound to follow SO 176, Rule 15 and Rule 17 of the Social Welfare Department and the government.

“By virtue of these rules, 113 seats are reserved for OM, and we have those unreserved,” he said.

Aspirants argue that this disproportionately affects the General Category students, who make up the majority of the population. In stark contrast, 71 percent of the seats have been allocated to reserved categories, raising questions about the fairness of the distribution.

The total number of PG seats in J&K medical colleges is 582, however, of these 50 percent are pooled into All-India Quota (AIQ), a practice that started three years ago.

A delegation of aspirants told Greater Kashmir that in the past three years, J&K has lost nearly 300 seats every year to non-domiciles, which has negatively impacted the prospects of healthcare.

“In other states, there is a mandatory service bond, but in J&K there is none. So doctors from outside study here and then leave to work in other parts of India,” the delegation members said.

A mandatory service bond for an MD and MS is a legal agreement signed by a medical student upon admission to a medical college, requiring them to serve for a specified period (usually one year) in government hospitals within a designated state after completing their degree or face a penalty by forfeiting a large sum of money if they choose not to serve.

It has been argued that J&K is losing more seats by being a part of AIQ, than the number it is gaining. “Not more than 25 students from J&K get admission to AIQ. The government must do an analysis and make a policy revision,” they said.

The handling of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category has added another layer of complexity to the controversy. EWS is a horizontal reservation under the open merit quota, which accounts for 10 percent of total seats.

This year, 28 seats were allocated to the EWS category, but with only seven eligible candidates, 21 seats remained vacant.

In previous years, these unfilled seats were reallocated to the open merit pool.

However, this year, the J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) moved the unfilled EWS seats to the reserved category quota.

This decision has sparked outrage among aspirants, who argue that it further marginalises open merit candidates.

Medical aspirants and experts alike have expressed concerns about the long-term consequences of this trend.

They argue that the erosion of merit-based allocations in medical education could lead to a decline in healthcare standards here.

“Merit has been killed this year. Reducing the open merit quota to just 29 percent is like inaugurating the collapse of healthcare in J&K,” a senior healthcare professional said.

Medical professionals, netizens, and stakeholders from a variety of fields have expressed dismay over the shrinking space for merit in medical colleges and other professions.