HYDERABAD: In a major decision that will protect interests of students of Telangana, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao directed Kaloji health varsity to strictly follow the merit order and change the present “faulty’ procedure for the ensuing counselling for admission into first-year MBBS.
Deccan Chronicle carried a series of articles in these columns highlighting the faulty procedures adopted by the vice-chancellor B. Karunakar Reddy denying MBBS seat to meritorious Telangana students in particular those belonging to Backward Classes. The less meritorious students from Andhra Pradesh have been sneaking into Telangana because of the same faulty procedure.
Reacting to DC reports, health minister T. Harish Rao formed an expert committee to look into the admission process. The committee found out about the injustice meted out to Telangana students for the past few years. Last academic year alone, about 100 Telangana students lost the opportunity to pursue the most sought-after course.
Ironically, BJP MLA and former health minister Etala Rajender remained a mute witness to the injustice last year. Harish Rao, however, is said to have brought the issue to the notice of the Chief Minister who gave his nod to change the procedure.
Accordingly, health department issued a GO on Wednesday to this effect.
As per the new rule, students need not apply for each round of web counselling unlike previous years. They have to apply only once for all seats in all colleges as per their choice. This will ensure automatic upgradation of merit students in the 85 per cent local category to 15 per cent unreserved category, depending on the availability of seats in second and subsequent rounds of counselling. The seats thus vacated by meritorious Telangana students in the local category will be filled with Telangana students only as per the new rule.
