Banks will be asked to provide guarantee, liberalise rules for medical college admission: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Pinarayi said the government will demand the fee regulatory commission, which has been assigned by the court to decide the fees, to fix the fee structure without much delay.
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan| PTI
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan| PTI

KOTTAYAM: In an attempt to resolve the crisis after the Supreme Court allowed private medical colleges to collect Rs 11 lakh as MBBS fees, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said efforts were on to liberalise banking rules to provide bank guarantees for MBBS students. 

He was speaking after presenting the T K Ramakrishnan memorial award to cardiologist T K Jayakumar here on Tuesday.

According to the Chief Minister, the court order has raised the concerns of parents and students. “However, no one will be denied an opportunity for not having money. In the prevailing situation, even financially backward students will have to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 6 lakh.

The government understands their concerns in its entirety. The government will convene a meeting of bank officials and will ask them to provide bank guarantee for students. We will also ask them to liberalise rules for the same. We have already initiated talks in this regard. We hope banks will accept our demand,” he said.

Pinarayi said the government will demand the fee regulatory commission, which has been assigned by the court to decide the fees, to fix the fee structure without much delay. While appreciating the Christian managements’ stance on medical fees, Pinarayi called upon private medical college managements to not   cruciate the students.

Three colleges included in spot allotment

The Commissioner For Entrance Examinations (CEE) will make allotment to three private self-financing medical colleges also during the spot admission to be conducted on August 30 and 31 at the Old Auditorium, Government Medical College campus, Thiruvananthapuram.

This was after the High Court allowed Al Azhar Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital, Idukki; DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, Wayanad and Mount Zion Medical College, Pathanamthitta, to participate in the allotment process provisionally subject to further orders.

Candidates from the respective minority communities seeking admission to the minority quota seats in the above colleges shall have to produce the required certificates/documents to prove their minority community status at the time of spot admission.

Medical admission row: CPM asks govt to intervene

In view of the apex court order pegging MBBS fees in self-financing medical colleges at Rs 11 lakh, the government should take urgent measures to ensure that eligible candidates don’t lose their opportunity for medical education, said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. The CPM reiterated its earlier demand that the government should bring in a legislation to rein in private self- financing colleges.

As per the SC verdict the Fee Regulatory Committee is the final authority to fix the medical education fees. The government should intervene to complete the proceedings in this regard, Kodiyeri said.  

“The Chief Minister’s statement that the government will support the students to get bank guarantee and if needed bank loans, have given a new hope to the students,” Kodiyeri said. He criticised the Opposition parties for blaming the government in the name of the SC verdict. It was the policy adopted during the UDF regime that led to the ongoing crisis, he said.

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