NEWS TODAY 12.09.2026

 

NMC adds over 13K MBBS seats, total intake tops 1.4 lakh

NMC adds over 13K MBBS seats, total intake tops 1.4 lakh

 Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 12.09.2026

New Delhi: National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 13,186 additional MBBS seats for the 2026-27 academic year, taking the total approved undergraduate medical intake to 1,40,214 seats across 836 medical colleges, excluding seats in Institutes of National Importance (INIs). 

The updated seat matrix, as on Sept 1, incorporates permissions for new medical colleges and increases in the annual intake of existing colleges. The expansion comes as NEET-UG counselling for the 2026-27 MBBS batch is underway, with the counselling schedule pushing back the start of the academic session and subsequent rounds, including the stray vacancy round, expected to continue into Oct. 

The increase is heavily driven by the private sector, which accounts for 10,400 of the 13,186 additional seats, or nearly 79%, while govt medical colleges have added 2,786 seats. The total intake has risen from 1,27,028 renewed seats to 1,40,214, an increase of about 10.4%. 

Karnataka has recorded the highest increase with 1,650 additional seats; followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,250; Bihar with 1,240; UP with 1,200 and Rajasthan with 1,100. Telangana has added 1,010 seats and West Bengal 975. 

Karnataka’s total MBBS intake now stands at 15,745 seats, including 4,600 in govt colleges and 11,145 in private colleges. Tamil Nadu has 14,299 seats, Uttar Pradesh 14,400 and Maharashtra 13,249. The addition of 13,186 seats will widen the pool of MBBS seats available during the 2026-27 admission cycle, although the actual allocation of these seats will depend on the ongoing counselling process. Among other major increases, Andhra Pradesh has added 525 seats, MP and Jharkhand 520 each, Maharashtra 550, Haryana 350, Kerala 300, Gujarat 250, Puducherry and Uttarakhand 200 each, and Jammu & Kashmir 175. 

The NMC matrix shows zero increase in Delhi, while Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have also recorded no additional seats. The NMC has made it clear that admissions must be restricted to the number of seats approved in the matrix

Declare assets online by Oct, TN govt tells staff

Declare assets online by Oct, TN govt tells staff 

Julie.Mariappan @timesofindia.com 11.09.2026

Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has made it mandatory for all govt employees, barring All India Service officers, to submit their annual statements of assets and liabilities online through the Integrated Financial and Human Resources Management System (IFHRMS). The move follows an amendment to Rule 7(3) of Tamil Nadu Government Servants’ Conduct Rules made in Jan 2026 by the DMK regime. Employees are required to declare their immovable properties, including land and buildings, movable assets such as vehicles, jewellery and bank deposits, as well as debts and other liabilities through the IFHRMS portal. 

“The facility for filing details of assets and liabilities has now been enabled on the IFHRMS portal. The system will make it easier to monitor violations,” a senior official said. In a recent communication, the govt directed secretaries, heads of departments, district collectors, judges, TNPSC secretary and registrar of Madras high court to instruct employees to file statements for the calendar year ending Dec 31, 2025, by Oct 31, 2026. 

The date of filing will be recorded in an employee’s ‘annual confidential report’. Failure to submit the statement within the stipulated period will be treated as a violation of the service conduct rules. Employees must file statements of their assets and liabilities as on Dec 31 of each year by March 31 of the succeeding year. The govt has also advised employees to keep their IFHRMS user IDs and passwords secure. Employees have to use Form I for immovable property, Form II for movable property and Form III for debts and other liabilities. After verifying and correcting the details, they must confirm and submit the declaration and download a copy for their records.

Madras High Court Rules Environmental Clearance Not Required for Essentiality Certificate of Medical Institutions

 Madras High Court Rules Environmental Clearance Not Required for Essentiality Certificate of Medical Institutions

The Madras High Court has held that an Environmental Clearance Certificate and approval from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board are not mandatory prerequisites for obtaining an Essentiality Certificate for establishing a medical institution, clarifying that such environmental compliances, while required under separate statutes for construction and commissioning, do not form part of the qualifying criteria under Form 2 of the Establishment of Medical College Regulations, 1999.

Courts & Judiciary

Hydar Choudhury

Sep 9, 2026·

The Madras High Court recently held that an Environmental Clearance Certificate and approval from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board are not necessary documents for obtaining an Essentiality Certificate for establishing a medical institution. The bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan passed this order while hearing a writ petition filed by Chettinad Academy of Research and Education against a communication from the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, which had insisted on the production of these two certificates before processing the Essentiality Certificate application.

Background of the Case

Chettinad Academy had acquired the property previously owned by Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology (PRIST Trust) through an e-auction conducted under the SARFAESI Act. PRIST Trust had been granted an Essentiality Certificate in August 2014 for setting up a medical college with an annual intake of 150 students. Although the college operated for a few years, it was denied recognition by the Medical Council of India for the academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19 due to non-compliance with prescribed norms, following which it ceased operations.

Courts & Judiciary

After acquiring the property, Chettinad Academy approached the National Medical Commission seeking permission to admit 150 students for the academic year 2025-26. In response, the State Health Department required the institution to obtain an Environmental Clearance Certificate and a certificate from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board as preconditions for granting the Essentiality Certificate. This requirement was challenged before the Single Judge, who dismissed the plea and directed the institute to secure the said certificates. Aggrieved by this order, Chettinad Academy filed an appeal before the Division Bench of the Madras High Court.

Arguments Advanced by the Parties

The petitioner contended that the Essentiality Certificate originally issued to PRIST Trust had neither been withdrawn nor cancelled, and that under the provisions of the SARFAESI Act, all statutory approvals attached to an asset are transferred to the auction purchaser. Accordingly, the Essentiality Certificate continued to remain valid and enforceable. Furthermore, it was argued that neither environmental clearance nor Pollution Control Board approval finds mention in Form 2 of the Establishment of Medical College Regulations, 1999, which outlines the criteria for evaluating an application for an Essentiality Certificate. Therefore, these documents could not be made a prerequisite for its grant.

The State, in its counter, maintained that the Essentiality Certificate is not a mere formality and that the State’s satisfaction in granting it cannot be divorced from broader statutory compliances, including environmental norms. It argued that ensuring environmental safeguards is integral to the establishment of any institution, particularly one involving public health and safety.

Court’s Observations and Reasoning

The Division Bench noted that while the Single Judge had acknowledged the arguments raised by both the petitioner and the State, it had not weighed them against each other or arrived at a conclusive finding on the core issue. The High Court observed that this failure to address the substantive grounds raised by the parties rendered the Single Judge’s order unsustainable.

On the merits, the Court clarified that although Environmental Clearance Certificates and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board approvals are mandatory under distinct environmental statutes before constructing or commissioning a medical institution, they are not prescribed as qualifying criteria in Form 2 for the evaluation of an Essentiality Certificate. The Bench emphasized that the absence of such environmental clearances at the threshold stage cannot be used by the State as a ground to withhold or delay the processing of an Essentiality Certificate application.

The Court further stated: “While environmental compliances (such as the Environmental Clearance Certificate and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board approval) are mandatory before constructing or commissioning a medical institution under distinct environmental statutes, they are not qualifying criteria prescribed under Form 2 for evaluating the grant of an Essentiality Certificate. The lack of an environmental clearance at the threshold cannot serve as a ground for the State to withhold or defer the processing of an Essentiality Certificate.”

Operative Outcome

The Madras High Court allowed the appeal filed by Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, quashed the order of the Single Judge, and directed the State Health Department to process the Essentiality Certificate application without insisting on the prior production of an Environmental Clearance Certificate or a certificate from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. The Court made it clear that while such environmental clearances remain obligatory under environmental laws for actual construction and operation, they are not conditions precedent for the grant of an Essentiality Certificate.

Courts & Judiciary

NEWS TODAY 09.09.2026