Jairam Ramesh Questions Government's Decision To Lower NEET PG Cut-Off
Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh has raised concerns over the government’s decision to drastically lower the NEET PG cut-off percentile for admissions to postgraduate medical programmes. Criticising the move, Ramesh remarked, “The Modi Government has once again reduced the cut-off percentile for admission to PG medical courses through NEET. The unofficial explanation suggests that the majority of leftover seats are in non-clinical branches with little demand. However, this decision raises serious doubts about whether it primarily benefits private medical colleges.”
The government’s decision comes after nearly 8,000 postgraduate medical seats remained vacant following the first two rounds of counselling. In response, the National Medical Commission (NMC) announced that candidates from the General and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories with a 15th percentile, and reserved category candidates with a 10th percentile, could participate in the next round of counselling. This marks a significant drop from the initial 50th and 40th percentiles, respectively.
A senior NMC official, speaking anonymously to The Print, revealed that the reduction aims to fill the remaining seats, with approximately 4,000 vacancies each in the All India and state quotas. However, this decision has drawn criticism from experts and stakeholders within the medical community.
The Modi Govt has yet again reduced the cut-off percentile for admission to PG in medical colleges through NEET.
The unofficial explanation is that this is done because the majority of leftover seats are in non-clinical branches for which there is little demand.
But this move…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 17, 2025
Critics argue that most vacant seats are in non-clinical branches such as anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, which have limited appeal due to fewer opportunities for clinical practice. Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, a professor of surgery and former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), pointed out that if the vacancies are primarily in non-clinical disciplines, the government should lower the cut-off exclusively for those branches.
“Many MBBS graduates are now opting for non-clinical branches because of job opportunities in newly opened medical colleges. Blanket reductions in the cut-off percentile risk benefiting private institutions more than deserving students,” Dr Wankhedkar told The Print.
