The NEET PG admissions are going on, and the debate is around fairness, especially in relation to students from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) getting Management and NRI quota seats in private medical colleges. These seats are paid for in crores of rupees, which makes one wonder how students whose families earn less than Rs 8 lakh per annum can afford such costs.

According to the experts, the two are categories-both being unreserved seats-could be allowed for candidates from EWS also as SC/ST if meritorious enough and choosing to seek these seats. But what raises an issue is that many candidates, when filling their application, declare to come under the EWS, but while appearing in counseling, opt for either NRI or Management seats at a much higher price of fees. In such cases, the relevance of their EWS certificate is questionable. A senior faculty member from a medical college in Delhi-NCR explains that the EWS certificate becomes irrelevant when a candidate opts for the NRI/Management quota, as these seats are not tied to EWS status. Ethical concerns about such practices should be addressed with the relevant college authorities and administrative bodies, such as the tehsildar who verifies the EWS certificates.

Moreover, Supreme Court judgments allow admission to students who are first or second-degree relatives of NRIs in the NRI quota. Hence, the students from any category, if they produce valid documentary evidence, should not be denied admission. The issue is more pronounced in private medical colleges, as most government colleges do not have NRI/Management quota seats.

It recently reported in media that over 24,600 PG medical seats were allotted in the first round of PG medical seat allotment that happened in November. As many as 135 management quota seats and 8 NRI seats in private medical colleges have been allocated, mostly to candidates who have registered as EWS. Such candidates are bound to pay Rs 25 lakh to Rs 90 lakh as tuition fees every year. For instance, an EWS candidate was allotted an MS Orthopaedics seat in the management quota of Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences in Puducherry, where the total course fee is up to Rs 1.6 crore. Another EWS candidate securing an MD Radiology seat under the NRI quota at Rajrajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Mysore, faces a fee of Rs 2.7 crore for the entire course. Experts argue that these candidates are eligible under existing rules, which do not prevent them from claiming NRI or Management quota seats.

The verification of credentials for EWS candidates is usually done at the state level or at the college level and is not managed by the NMC, as it is more focused on maintaining standards in medical education than on individual admissions. Although this decentralization is important for the smooth conduct of the admission process, it does raise a few questions about the integrity of the system.

Financial incentives of private medical colleges have also contributed to the problem. Many private institutions focus on generating profits, as NRI and Management quota seats can command much higher fees than government quotas. This can lead to lax enforcement of EWS certification requirements, as admitting candidates who can afford higher fees benefits the colleges’ financial health. Dr. B Unnikrishnan, dean of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, says that this is a move that actually undermines the opportunity for the really disadvantaged student.

As a solution, some people say that the NRI sponsorship payments should be made through foreign accounts to prevent misuse. Ashish Sinha, co-founder of Get My University, advocates for stricter documentation so that only genuine candidates, with valid NRI sponsorship, benefit from these seats. He further argues that though the NRI seats help the financial health of the colleges, they do not help the cause of society and may compromise on the quality of education and the overall merit of the candidates.

Ultimately, though EWS candidates are entitled to avail themselves of NRI quota seats through proper documentation, the whole system raises very serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and the ethical implications of such practices in medical admissions.