Deccan Chronicle: Bengaluru: Thursday,
October 24, 2013.
A
Right to Information query has revealed how MBBS seats in the government
medical colleges of the state are being filled fraudulently.
On
the record, all the available seats were filled through the Karnataka
Examination Authority (KEA). But the documents obtained through the Right To
Information Act (RTI) revealed that in the last academic year (2012-13) many
students got seats in government medical colleges without attending the CET
seat selection process.
There
is a lot of difference between the final medical (MBBS) selection list
published by the KEA and the list of students published by the colleges on
their websites. For example, two candidates’ names were different on the
selection list provided by the KEA and the list published by Bangalore Medical
College and Research Institute.
The
student list published by the Bidar Medical College has three different names
compared to the CET selection list. The same is the case with the Raichur
Medical College.
An
officer from the medical education department said that generally KEA publishes
the list after the final round of the seat selection process.
“None
of the officials at either college level or at the medical education department
has the authority to fill the seats. All the vacant seats should be filled by
the KEA only, after giving wide publicity. Last year there was no such abnormal
situation. But no one is aware how there are changes in the names of students,”
he said.
According
to the rules, all government medical colleges in the state must admit only
those students who are given admit card by the KEA after a holding transparent
seat selection process.
The
government must take this malpractice seriously, said another officer of the
KEA. "Private medical colleges in the state have the authority to convert
the unfilled government quota and all-India quota seats into management quota.
There is a provision for this under the consensual agreement between COMEDK and
the state government. But a government college doesn't have the right to
replace a student," he said.
According
to sources, the state medical education department is expected to hold a formal
inquiry into the seat blocking racket in medical colleges. "We have sought
details of medical and dental student admissions from both KEA and the Rajiv
Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) over the last three years. When we
get the report we can find out how seats were filled up and whether there are
any irregularities," said an officer.