NEET-PG counselling will start from Jan 12
Candidates will be allowed to choose courses from January 13; registration for the first round of counselling can be done till January 17
NEW DELHI: Counselling for postgraduate medical courses to allocate seats to successful candidates for the 2021-22 academic session will begin on January 12, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Sunday.
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Centre to go ahead with counselling for NEET-PG and undergraduate medical courses by upholding the government’s decision to introduce 27% quota for other backward classes within the all-india quota (AIQ) seats, and permitted 10% reservation for economically weaker sections among the general category to be applied based on the criteria laid down in January 2019. This came after months of protests by resident doctors across the nation against the delay in NEET-PG counselling.
“As assured by the ministry of health to the resident doctors, following the order of the honourable Supreme Court, the NEET-PG counselling is being started by the Medical Counselling Committee from January 12, 2022. This will give more strength to the country in the fight against Corona. My best wishes to all the candidates,” Mandaviya said in a tweet in Hindi.
Candidates will be allowed to indicate their course choices from January 13 and online registration for the first round of counselling can be done till January 17, the Medical Counselling Committee that conducts the allotment said soon after the minister’s announcement.
The Supreme Court will review the criteria for EWS reservations laid down by a threemember committee headed by former finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, when petitions challenging the introduction of EWS quota in NEET-PG through a July 2021 circular are heard later in March.
“The validity of 27% OBC quota is upheld in NEET-PG and NEET-UG courses in the AIQ seats,” a bench of justices Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and AS Bopanna said, acknowledging the urgency of the matter.
On July 29, the Centre had introduced 27% OBC quota and 10% EWS quota in 15% AIQ seats in NEET-UG and 50% AIQ seats in NEET-PG.
The exam was held on September 11 after being rescheduled twice in January and April.
The results were declared in the last week of September, following which students for nearly 43,000 postgraduate seats had been waiting for counselling to begin.
Due to the delay in counselling, protests were held by resident doctors, who stopped emergency services in their hospitals in Delhi for a few days last month to demand that counselling be expedited.
The 14-day strike ended last Friday after an assurance was given by the Union health ministry to announce the counselling schedule as soon as the apex court issued directions.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association welcomed the news.
“Thankful to Hon’ble @mansukhmandviya Sir for declaring the date of #Neetpgcounselling2021 @Pmoindia @MOHFW_INDIA…,” it tweeted.