NEET PG Counselling likely to resume from next week as SC gives nod for early resumption

As the Supreme Court gave a nod to conduct the NEET PG Counselling for 2021 on Friday, it is likely that the counselling will begin from next week, official sources told ANI. Keeping in mind the demands of the protesting resident doctors and students to expedite the process of NEET PG counselling, the decision of the early resumption of the counselling session has been taken.

The issue of NEET PG Counselling was finally resolved on January 7, as Supreme Court gave a go-ahead to proceed with the counselling for the post-graduate medical courses for 2021 with the OBC and EWS quota being unchanged. The decision also seeks significance amid the rising number of COVID cases in the country.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna said that the counselling shall be conducted as per the notice dated July 29, 2021, including 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 10% for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in All-India Quota (AIQ) seats in state government medical institutions.

SC gives a nod to conduct NEET PG Counselling 2021 

"We accept the Pandey committee report. Counselling for NEET PG and UG will take place in consonance with the notification as the given effect in the in-office memorandum. The criteria mentioned for identifying EWS will be used for NEET PG and UG. The Pandey committee report "will be subject to the final validity of the subject assailed," the court said.

The Supreme Court has upheld the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the latest judgement. The validity of the criteria for determining the EWS quota will be heard as recommended by the Pandey committee in the third week of March 2022. Meanwhile, the Court is specifically examining the feasibility of having an 8 lakh cap to avail the EWS quota for PG medical admissions. Earlier, the Central government had assured that the NEET counselling procedure would not start until the court approved the matter.

Hailing the Supreme Court order allowing 27% OBC reservation in NEET-PG counselling, Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) chief Dr Manish on Friday, termed it a major relief for doctors and the nation. Highlighting the urgent need for doctors amid rise in Omicron cases, FORDA urged the Centre to release the NEET-PG counselling schedule as soon as possible. SC has allowed the Centre to continue NEET-PG counselling after mass strikes by doctors, leading to acute shortage.

Image: PTI, Representative