Govt steps in to enforce cap on fee

FARIDKOT: Following reports that private medical colleges and varsities have hiked fee for admission to MBBS course, the department of medical education and research (DMRE) has directed Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, to fill management quota seats as well.

BFUHS is the nodal agency for counselling.

This will ensure that no college is able to charge more than ₹2.2 lakh per annum for a government quota seat.

The cap for a management quota seat is ₹6.6 lakh. The notification for Punjab NEET-2017 had set this fee with the provision of enhancement every year.

In its directive to the BFUHS, the DMRE has asked it to enforce the Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission, Fixation of Fee and Making of Reservation) Act, 2006.

Varsity officials said under this law, private institutes cannot charge desirous fee from candidates, and the government has the power to regulate fee.

BFUHS V-C Dr Raj Bahahdur said, “The DMRE has instructed us to fill management category quota seats as per Section-5 (50% management seats and 50% of management quota seats) of Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission, Fixation of Fee and Making of Reservation) Act, 2006. Section 7(1) of this Act indicates that the government is the only competent authority for the regulation of fees in private institutions.”

He added that a Punjab NEET-2017 notification has been issued. “It now follows that the annual fee for the government quota seats shall be ₹2.2 lakh while that of management quota seats shall be ₹6.6 lakh per annum with subsequent enhancement each year,” he added.

The Central Board of School Education (CBSE) had announced the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-2017 results on June 23. The NEET is held for the candidates seeking admission to Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses

The eligibility of general candidates will be verified on July 22 and 23.

The verification of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Backward Class (BC) candidates will be done on-the-spot at respective colleges as and when students join, between July 24 and 31.

BFUHS DIRECTED TO FILL MANAGEMENT SEATS AS WELL, TO ENSURE COLLEGES CANNOT CHARGE MORE THAN THE MANDATED ₹2.2 LAKH PER ANNUM FOR GOVT QUOTA AND ₹6.6 LAKH FOR MANAGEMENT QUOTA