Thiruvananthapuram: Postgraduate medical aspirants from Kerala have requested the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to delay the third round of All India Quota (AIQ) counselling for NEET-PG 2023. They cite delays in the completion of the second round of state-level counselling in multiple states as the reason for their appeal.
As per the current schedule, MCC plans to conduct the third round of AIQ counselling for admission to deemed, central, and other universities from December 26, 2024, to January 1, 2025.
The Issue: Delays in State Counselling
Typically, AIQ and state counselling processes run concurrently, allowing students to make informed choices. Vacant seats from State Counselling are usually added to the subsequent AIQ rounds. However, this year, the second round of PG medical counselling in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Rajasthan, faced delays or suspensions due to ongoing legal cases.
As a result, many seats that should have been available in the third round of AIQ counselling remain unaccounted for. Aspirants from Kerala, a state with limited PG medical seats, rely on these vacancies in other states for securing admissions.
Aspirants’ Concerns
Candidates argue that proceeding with the third round of AIQ counselling as scheduled will exclude these vacant seats, denying deserving students the opportunity to secure admission based on merit. They worry that these seats may instead be allocated during the stray round, often favoring lower-ranked candidates.
One aspirant emphasized the importance of completing state-level counselling first, ensuring that all vacant seats are included in the third AIQ round, thereby providing fair opportunities to all candidates based on merit.
Broader Impact of Counselling Delays
The disruption in both Central and State counselling processes has left many PG medical aspirants in uncertainty. For instance:
- In Telangana, over 8,000 PG aspirants await the release of the state-level counselling merit list by Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS).
- Many students remain unaware of their rankings despite registering weeks ago.
Additionally, a pending plea in the Supreme Court seeking transparency in the NEET PG examination adds to the turmoil. The case, which has been postponed multiple times, is scheduled for further hearing on January 7, 2025.
The Call for Action
Aspirants urge MCC to adopt a fair approach by postponing the third AIQ counselling round until state-level counselling concludes. This step would ensure the inclusion of all vacant seats, allowing candidates to secure admissions based on their merit.
The situation highlights the need for synchronized efforts between state and central authorities to streamline the counselling process and avoid undue stress for aspirants.
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