DeQoded: Why Madhya Pradesh’s DMAT Scam is Bigger Than Vyapam
DeQoded on The Quint: What is the DMAT Scam and why it is bigger than Vyapam?
advertisement
Dental and Medical Test (DMAT) scam involves sale of management quota seats to 6 private medical and 16 private dental colleges in Madhya Pradesh
Yogesh Uprit, the controller of DMAT was arrested and has allegedly confessed to 100% corruption in DMAT; each seat costs between 15 lakh to 1.5 crore rupees
Whistle blowers estimate that DMAT scam ranges from 8-10,000 crores and involves the rich and powerful of Madhya Pradesh
The CBI in an affidavit to the Supreme Court has said, DMAT is bigger than VYAPAM and even they cannot investigate such a huge scam
What is DMAT?
Dental and Medical Test (DMAT) is a common entrance exam conducted by the Association of Private Dental and Medical Colleges of Madhya Pradesh (APDMC). Over 2500 students are admitted into 6 private medical and 16 private dental colleges every year on basis of their DMAT exam results.
The DMAT exam accounts for 58% of the seats at these 22 colleges. The remaining 42% are part of the state government quota, filled up by students who come through the now infamous VYAPAM (Madhay Pradesh Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal) exam.
What is the DMAT ‘Scam’?
Scam Method #1 - The candidate leaves the OMR sheets blank. These are later filled up with the correct answers, in collusion with DMAT officials, for a price.
Scam Method #2 - A brilliant student registers, gives the DMAT exam, earns a seat and then vacates it for price. The going rate is 2-3 lakh rupees. The APDMC then gives the seat to the candidate who has bribed the management.
Both, the DMAT and the VYAPAM scams involve bribery, cheating and impersonation, but the DMAT scam is simpler. And involves bigger money.
The VYAPAM scam was a nexus between Vyapam officials, senior bureaucrats and thousands of students for admission to government colleges. The going rate allegedly between 3-5 lakh rupees per seat.
But the money runs into crores in the DMAT scam as the seats at stake are for private medical and dental colleges.
Bigger than VYAPAM
DMAT is bigger than VYPAM.
Yogesh Uprit, the controller of DMAT and a director in VYAPAM was arrested on 6 June 2015 and he has opened a pandora’s box, allegedly confessing to 100% corruption in DMAT.
75 year old Yogesh Uprit has allegedly told the Special Investigation Team that every successive Health Minister under CM Shivraj Chouhan was paid a bribe of 10 crore rupees by the APDMC to look away.
DMAT scam is worth 8000-10,000 crore rupees. It is high profile because only the rich and powerful can pay 15 lakh-1 crore rupees for MBBS, BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) or Post Graduate seat.
-Paras Saklecha, Whistleblower & Former MLA from MP
Further, responding to PILs filed in the Supreme Court demanding a CBI probe into DMAT, the CBI in an affidavit has stated that the DMAT scam was bigger than Vyapam and given the nature and scope, CBI expressed its inability to take up the investigation.
The DMAT scam as highlighted by the petitioners, purportedly started from 2009 and ever year thousands of students have been admitted in private dental and medical colleges against the management quota. Hence in its scope and depth, the DMAT scam appears to be many times more than the Vyapam scam.
-CBI Affidavit in Supreme Court, 14 Aug 2015
Top VIP’s Are Beneficiaries
Whistleblowers in the case allege that the list of beneficiaries includes Congress and BJP politicians, senior judges, bureaucrats and top cops. Members of Shivraj Chouhan’s family, even senior Ministers from his previous and current cabinet are alleged beneficiaries of DMAT.
Playing With Lives
There is also a human cost to the DMAT and VYAPAM scams. Apart from poor health infrastructure, Madhya Pradesh also has a scarcity of qualified doctors.
But thanks to VYAPAM and DMAT, we are now forced to ask - has MP produced any real doctors in the last decade?