Kozhikode: EWS candidates may be losers in medical admissions

KOZHIKODE: The norm ensuring 10 percent reservation for Economically Weak Students (EWS) for medical admissions may affect the chances of deserving students from the state.

The norm has been included in the Bill to provide 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections among the forward castes.  Since the criterion to define the economically lower class provided in the central Bill is different from that of the state, even the deserving students from the state may miss that opportunity.

It was in January this year that Parliament passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill to provide 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections among the forward castes.

According to the Bill, the family of the prospective student should own residential land measuring less than 2.3 cents in the urban areas and 4.6 cents in the rural areas. In case of houses, the measurement should not exceed 980 sq-ft. Only then the student is eligible to apply for the reserved seats in the education sector. However, according to Kerala government, the prescribed land area is three cents to make one eligible for the economically weaker sections (EWS) income certificate.

In the state 155 new seats were allocated in seven different medical colleges as part of the increase in quota. However, since the poverty criterion in the state is higher, the candidates allege that their applications of EWS income certificates are being rejected by tahsildars.

The last date to apply for the reserved seats is July 15. Thiruvananthapuram medical college has 50 new seats, Kottayam, Thrissur and Alappuzha medical colleges 25 each. In Ernakulam, Manjeri and Kollam medical colleges, there are 10 seats each from this year. If the candidates are not able to procure the income certificates as prescribed by the Bill, they would miss the opportunity.

M.K. Raghavan MP told DC that if the state fails to act in time the students in the state will lose the chance. "The criterion should be made on a pan-India perspective," he said.

Only those students, who are homeless or whose family stays in rented houses, are eligible to produce the income certificates, it was pointed out.

Already prospective students for the NIT, IITs and IIMs have missed the opportunity. They have sought the immediate intervention of the chief minister and education minister, citing the discrepancies in the income criterion of the state and the centre.

When the students from the state miss such an opportunity, those from other states would benefit, they said.