PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday accused the Centre and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi of having deprived students of the benefits of 50 percent reservation in private medical colleges under government quota as well as 10 percent reservation for government school students in medical admissions.
Briefing newsmen on Saturday, the Chief Minister said that though the cabinet after taking a decision on 50 percent government quota in private medical colleges sent a draft bill to the Lt Governor on March 23, 2020, she forwarded it to the Home Ministry only after two months. Unlike states, Puducherry being an UT, the approval of the Centre and President is required for introducing any bill in the Legislative Assembly. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) sent back the file with queries on December 3.
Similarly, the Puducherry government’s effort to provide 10 percent internal reservation to government school students in medical education was scuttled by the Centre and the Lt Governor, charged the Chief minister. The government had sent a file on providing 10 percent internal reservation to government school students in medical admissions to the Lt Governor for approval.
Unlike Tamil Nadu which issued an order providing 7.5 percent reservation, Puducherry needs the approval of the Lt Governor to issue the government notification in this regard. But the Lt Governor, with the intention that students of government schools should not be given reservation, deliberately sent the file to the Home Ministry though it is not required, said Narayanasamy.
The Centre sent a reply stating that a state government cannot issue any order on medical education as medical education was under the purview of the MOHFW. A student moved the High Court, but the same reply was given there. Though medical education is under the MOHFW, internal reservation is a state matter and Puducherry has powers to grant it, he said.
He cited the regional reservation provided to students of outlying areas of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam in MBBS and engineering courses through a government order, which was also upheld by the High Court.
Now the same reservation for government school students in medial education is allowed in one state and denied in another, he said citing Tamil Nadu. It is a big injustice done by the BJP government and LG to the students of Puducherry, he said and referred to the remarks made by DMK President M K Stalin and MDMK leader Vaiko urging the Centre to grant approval for the reservation and the 50 percent government quota in private medical colleges and thanked both of them.
The Centre and Lt Governor should not ‘play’ with the future of students of Puducherry, especially government school students who succeeded in clearing NEET, he said. He urged the Centre to grant approval to the Puducherry government’s proposals in this regard.