IMA prez praises PM Modi for providing reservations to weaker sections in AIQ scheme

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has appreciated that the Centre's decision to give 27% reservations for Other Backward Class (OBCs) and 10% for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in the medical and dental courses from the current year. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, IMA President Dr JA Jayalal said that this move will give more opportunity to the people from rural areas and weaker sections.

"More people from rural areas and weaker sections will get an opportunity to get into medical education. We thank PM for this exemplary innovative implementation," Jayalal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday approved 27% reservations for OBCs and 10% reservations for EWS in the All India Quota (AIQ) scheme for medical admissions. The reservations will be offered at undergraduates and postgraduates medical colleges from the academic year 2021-22.

Introduced in 1986 under the directions of the apex court, the All India Quota (AIQ) scheme provides domicile-free merit-based opportunities to candidates from any state or Union Territory to aspire to study in a medical college located in another state. AIQ consists 15% of total UG seats and 50% of PG seats in government medical colleges.

Hailing the decision, PM Modi tweeted: "This will immensely help thousands of our youth every year get better opportunities and create a new paradigm of social justice in our country." Union Health Minister said that the move will benefit nearly 5,500 students. "The government is committed to providing due reservation both to Backward Category and EWS Category," he tweeted.

"This decision would benefit every year nearly 1500 OBC students in MBBS and 2500 OBC students in postgraduation and also around 550 EWS students in MBBS and around 1000 EWS students in postgraduation," an official statement said.

This decision is in sync with the major reforms carried out in the field of medical education since 2016. MBBS seats, during the last six years, have increased to 84,649, which was 54,348 before 2014. According to the government, during the same period, the number of PG seats have also increased by 80% while 179 new medical institutions have been set up in the country.