On 6 January 2019, nearly 1.5 lakh MBBS graduate students appeared for the NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test postgraduate) exam. Of these, approximately 15,000 were from Maharashtra and about 7,500 students qualified from this lot. From this subset, around 4,000 students registered themselves for counselling (a process through which students choose fill their preference for admission and are allotted seats accordingly).
The cut-off of for the general category students is higher than those in reserved category. Merely qualifying the exam doesn’t grant a you seat. Accordingly to the 2018 information brochure of the Maharastra CET (Common Entrance Test) cell, 50% of seats are for reserved category students and the remaining half was open for all.
On 9 March this year, we were informed by the concerned authority that 16% SEBC and 10% EWS will be applicable for counselling thereon. When the seat matrix was released, we were shocked to find that there were only 22% seats for general category students in government schools for post graduation and 7.8% seats in private colleges. This was heartbreaking for aspirants as already the postgraduate seats in the medical field are less and it is not an easy task to get into a college.
Though this year many diplomas seats were converted to degree seats, but still overall seats remaining for open unreserve category student is very less.
The total government seats for MD and MS available through Maharashtra counselling are 972. The total number of seats of these open for all candidates are 221 only. For example, in general medicine, 22 of 99 seats are for general category students. In general surgery, 23 out of 99, in psychiatry 3 out of 14, and so on.
In private unaided medical colleges of Maharashtra specifically, the seat percentage is abysmal for PG courses. In 2019, a NEET PG seat wise category distribution list showed that out of 460 seats, only 36 were available for general category. In many cases, there were no offered seats in a particular stream for the category! This means even an All India Rank 1 student can’t get a seat there!
Why won’t the government or the Opposition do something about this? Students are angry and frustrated over their dirty and cheap politics. We have been studying hard and long, struggling to score and get good ranks. But even after that, we are deprived of making the choice to study in the college we want to.
We believe, and demand that reservation should not be above the Supreme Court guideline of 50%. Meritorious students should get opportunity to study, there should be a healthy balance. In Maharashtra, the seat allotment for the first round is out and many who got good ranks have not got a seat and those who have were deserving a better college.
Therefore, our demand is that –
- There be no more than the mandated 50% reservation for undergraduate courses. The government must give reservation within this percentage, not exceed it.
- There should be no reservation for postgraduate courses.
- A new allotment list be published reversing unconstitutional reservation. This is our main priority.
Students don’t question reservation for those who deserve them. Yet it is dividing students further by solidifying caste and sowing the seed of resentment among the rest.
No political party or any leader is coming forward to support the needs of students due to vote bank politics. We are now left with only NOTA in the upcoming elections.
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