NEET-PG counselling to begin on January 12, announces Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Taking to his official Twitter account, Mansukh Mandaviya said that this will give more strength to the country in the fight against COVID-19.

File Photo (ANI)

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday (January 9, 2022) announced that the NEET-PG counselling will begin on January 12. 

Taking to his official Twitter account, Mandaviya said that this will give more strength to the country in the fight against COVID-19. 

रेसीडेंट डॉक्टरस को स्वास्थ्य मंत्रालय द्वारा दिए आश्वासन अनुसार, माननीय सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के आदेश के बाद MCC द्वारा NEET-PG काउन्सलिंग 12 जनवरी 2022 से शुरू की जा रही है।

इससे कोरोना से लड़ाई में देश को और मज़बूती मिलेगी। सभी उम्मीदवारों को मेरी शुभकामनाएं। — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) January 9, 2022

The announcement will bring relief to several doctors waiting for admissions to postgraduate courses.

This is noteworthy that the Supreme Court on Friday had paved the way for starting the stalled NEET-PG 2021 counselling process based on the existing 27 per cent OBC and 10 per cent EWS reservations in the All India Quota seats, saying there is an "urgent need" to begin the admission process.

A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna, which had for two consecutive days heard the matter on applicability of Rs 8 lakh annual income criteria for determination of economically weaker section (EWS), passed an interim order, saying "there is an urgent need to commence the process of counselling".

"Counselling on the basis of NEET-PG 2021 and NEET- UG 2021 shall be conducted by giving effect to the reservation as provided by the notice dated July 29, 2021, including the 27 per cent reservation for the OBC (other backward class) category and 10 per cent reservation for EWS category in the AIQ (All India Quota) seats," the bench said.

The apex court passed the interim order on a batch of pleas filed by doctors challenging a July 29, 2021, notice of the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) providing 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent for EWS in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-PG) admissions for medical courses for the academic year 2021-22.

The top court, which passed five operative directions, had said that the criteria for the determination of EWS notified by the office memorandum (OM) 2019, including Rs 8 lakh annual income criterion, will be used for identifying the EWS category for candidates, who appeared for the NEET-PG 2021 and NEET-UG (Under Graduate) 2021 examinations.

However, the bench said that the validity of the criteria determined by the Pandey Committee for identification of EWS would prospectively for the future be subject to the final result of the petitions.

"The petitions shall be listed for final hearing on the validity of the EWS criteria as recommended by the Pandey Committee in the third week of March 2022," the bench said.

The top court said that the submissions, which have been urged before it over a span of two days, necessitate a detailed interim order on the applicability of the EWS criteria as notified by OM 2019 for NEET-PG 2021.

"The formulation of the reasons in the interim order on the EWS reservation would take some time. The validity of the OBC reservation in the AIQ seats in NEET-PG and NEET-UG is upheld for reasons to follow," the bench said.

The order also came as a relief for the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), which has recently protested over the delay in starting of NEET-PG counselling. It had also moved the top court saying there is an urgent need to start the admission process.

During the two consecutive day hearing that started on Wednesday, the Centre had told the apex court that the introduction of OBC and EWS reservations after the issuance of NEET-PG exam notification does not amount to "changing the rules of the game" midway.

Justifying the application of Rs 8 lakh income criteria for the EWS category, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was representing the Centre, said the decision was arrived at after due deliberation by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Centre had constituted a three-member committee, comprising Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former finance secretary, VK Malhotra, member secretary, ICSSR, and Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser to Centre, on November 30 last year according to an assurance given to the top court to revisit the criteria for determining EWS.

The committee in its report submitted on December 31 last year to the Centre had said, "The current gross annual family income limit for EWS of Rs 8 lakh or less may be retained. In other words, only those families whose annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh would be eligible to get the benefit of EWS reservation."

(With PTI inputs)