After SC order, NEET-PG counseling to begin from January 12
The counseling for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG) will begin from January 12, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday. Mandaviya said the decision was taken as per assurances given by the ministry to resident doctors after the Supreme Court's order. "This will give more strength to the country in the fight against corona(virus)," Mandaviya added.
Why does it matter?
NEET-PG counseling was stalled after the SC raised concerns over the government's decision to set Rs. eight lakh as the annual income limit to avail the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota. However, the SC cleared the way for the counseling on Friday, citing an "urgent need." This will provide major relief to the healthcare system as the counseling delay has caused a staff shortage.
What did the SC order say?
On Friday, an SC bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna passed an interim order on the applicability of the EWS criteria citing "an urgent need to commence the process of counseling." The court also allowed the existing 27% Other Backward Castes and 10% EWS reservations, including Rs. eight lakh annual income criterion, in the All India Quota seats for medical admissions.
Detailed hearing on reservations in March
In its interim order, the SC also specified that the validity of EWS criteria would prospectively be subject to the final result of petitions challenging the criteria. The detailed hearing on the validity of EWS and OBC reservations will be taken up again in March
Why the EWS criteria was challenged?
The 10% reservation for the EWS was challenged as it provides privileges similar to OBCs. The petitions also challenged the Rs. eight lakh eligibility criteria for EWS, saying no study has been conducted on it. The SC had earlier asked the central government to explain what exercise it had undertaken to determine the EWS criteria.
Government filed an affidavit last Sunday
On January 2, the central government had filed an affidavit before the SC, saying it will accept all recommendations of the three-member committee that was formed to evaluate the EWS criteria. As per the affidavit, the Rs. eight lakh annual income criteria will remain, but the residential asset criteria will be removed. Notably, the new rules will only be effective from next year.
Resident doctors had earlier launched protests
Meanwhile, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) had staged country-wide protests in December over the delay in NEET-PG counseling. Doctors were facing an increased workload due to COVID-19 as no new admissions were taking place, the FORDA had alleged. However, the protest was called off on December 31 after the government assured them that their demands would be looked into.
