PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry government revised the seat matrix for MBBS and BDS courses in private medical and dental colleges under government quota by removing the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota, following hue and cry over its inclusion.
The Health Secretariat which released the seat matrix and published on CENTAC website on Friday, provided 10 percent reservation to EWS from the General category seats, thus reducing the General category seats to 40 percent of the total seats. Out of 167 MBBS seats in three private medical colleges, 17 seats were allocated to EWS category and 67 seats under the General category, while in BDS couses, out of 70 seats in two colleges, 28 seats are under General Category and seven seats under EWS category.
Objecting to it, V Balasubramanian, President of Pondicherry State Students and Parents welfare association petitioned the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, Health minister, Chief Secretary and other officials stating that this was a violation of the provisions of the law of reservation which states that EWS reservation of 10 percent should be over and above the 50 percent reservation in the General category.
The AIADMK Legislative party leader A Anbazhagan, Puducherry UT all centac students parents association also raised similar objections. They said it was not only a violation but also unfair to the students of Puducherry.
The Health Secretariat late in the evening issued a revised seat matrix, by removing the EWS quota and published it on the CENTAC website. Accordingly for MBBS 84 seats are under General category (67 +17) and 35 seats for BDS (28+7).