'EWS' candidates take PG med courses with Rs 1 crore fees

Almost 140 candidates from the economically weaker section (annual family income less than Rs 8 lakh) have chosen postgraduate seats in clinical specialties from management and NRI quotas of private medical colleges, for which tuition fees alone range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore plus per year. This has raised questions about the credibility of EWS certificates.

"They apply for PG NEET exam as EWS candidates and when their ranks turn out to be very low, they become NRIs and pay fees in crores or take management quota seats that can also cost more than Rs 1 crore for the entire course. This can happen only in India," said a postgraduate trainee doctor. This had happened last year too and yet there was no inquiry by govt into the issue of candidates with fake EWS certificates who affect the chances of deserving candidates, added the doctor.

Of 16 management quota seats, 4 taken by EWS candidates

An EWS candidate whose NEET rank was lower than 1.1 lakh has taken an NRI quota seat for MD in dermatology in Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi, where the annual tuition fees for NRIs are over a crore per annum for this specialty. Another EWS candidate with a rank below 84,000 has opted for an NRI quota seat for MD in general medicine in Vinayaka Missions Medical College in Puducherry, for which the tuition fee is over Rs 55 lakh per year.

Three EWS candidate have opted for postgraduate seats in Santosh Medical College in specialties such as radio diagnosis (Rs 76 lakh per year), general medicine and obstetrics and gynaecology, which cost Rs 50 lakh per year. Out of 16 management quota seats for postgraduation in general medicine in Dr DY Patil Medical College in Navi Mumbai, four have been taken by EWS candidates. The tuition fees for this course are Rs 48.5 lakh per annum. An EWS candidate has opted for a seat for MS orthopaedics in the same college, for which the annual tuition fee amounts to Rs 62.5 lakh.

The first round of allotment of seats in medical colleges has been completed and the allotment of almost 27,000 candidates has been announced. There are over 52,000 postgraduate seats, which include MD, MS & PG diploma seats, in government and private medical colleges and hospitals. Over 2.4 lakh candidates appeared for NEET PG entrance exam held in Aug and nearly 1.3 lakh qualified.
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