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Thursday, March 12, 2026

NEWS TODAY 12.03.2026

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ACS Medical College suspends physical classes

12.03.2026

ACS Medical College and Hospital suspended physical classes from March 12 to March 25 and asked students to vacate the hostel as LPG shortage continued to disrupt daily operations. In a circular issued on Wednesday, registrar Dr C B Palanivelu said online classes would be conducted according to department timetables during this period. Teaching and non-teaching staff are expected to attend work as usual. “As the crisis is universal, the management requestsc ooperation from students, staff, and parents,” the circular said. The hospital attached to the medical college will continue to see and admit patients, sources said.

1,28,976 MBBS, 85,020 PG seats, 818 medical colleges in India: Health Ministry cites NMC data, regulations in Parliament

Written By : Adity Saha Published On 11 Mar 2026 5:49 PM | Updated On 11 Mar 2026 5:49 PM

New Delhi: Altogether 1,28,976 MBBS, 85,020 PG seats and 818 medical colleges are available in the country as per the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Health Ministry recently told the Parliament while citing NMC data and regulations.

Further, under CSS schemes, 4977 additional MBBS seats and 8058 additional PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country, Union Health Minister Smt Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha.

While informing Parliament about the increase in seat capacity in medical colleges, the Minister said that, as per the National Medical Commission, the number of medical colleges has increased by 111.36%, from 387 in 2013-14 to 818 at present.

Further, she stated that MBBS seats have increased by 151.18%, from 51,348 before 2013-14 to 1,28,976 currently, while PG seats have risen by 172.63%, from 31,185 before 2014 to 85,020 at present, improving access to medical education in the country.

"The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for ‘Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. Under these schemes, additional 4977 MBBS seats and 8058 PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country," the Minister said.

The information was shared while responding to a series of queries raised by parliament member who sought to know the reasons and details of sanctioning additional medical seats in Government colleges to increase MBBS and postgraduate capacity; whether the increase in seats is accompanied by proportional enhancement in faculty, infrastructure and clinical training facilities to maintain education quality, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor; whether the National Medical Commission monitors compliance with regulations and standards across colleges and the steps being taken to ensure equitable access to medical education across States and underserved regions.

In response, MoS Health Patel informed that the National Medical Commission (NMC) invites online applications every year from medical colleges and institutions across the country for the establishment of new medical colleges and for increase of Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) medical seats. NMC issues Letter of Permission (LoP)/ Letter of Disapproval (LoD) after due scrutiny and assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Establishment of Medical Institutions, Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023, the Minimum Standard Requirement for Undergraduate courses (UGMSR), 2023, the Minimum Standard Requirement for Postgraduate courses (PGMSR), 2023, and other relevant norms issued by NMC from time to time.

"The "Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (MSMER2023)" makes it obligatory on the part of the medical college or medical institution, after its establishment, to furnish an Annual Disclosure Report (ADR) to the concerned Board, satisfying such conditions provided under the notified MSRs by Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) or Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) and regulations of NMC. The respective Board (PGMEB or UGMEB) undertakes the evaluation of the ADR as and when deemed necessary for their assessment and otherwise," She added.

To ensure equitable to medical education across States and underserved regions, the Minister informed the parliament about the following key measures introduced under UGMSR, 2023 and PGMSR, 2023.

(i) Removal of the earlier mandatory land requirement, with provision for a unitary campus or a maximum of two campuses within a distance of 10 km between the medical college and the teaching hospital.

(ii) Adoption of a need-based approach for scaling infrastructure, equipment and manpower.

(iii) Permission to start PG courses with two seats with two faculty members without the earlier requirement of three faculty members and a senior resident.

(iv) Provision enabling medical colleges to apply for starting PG courses one year after commencement of the undergraduate course, while Government Medical Colleges may start PG courses simultaneously with UG courses.

(d) The government has made concerted efforts on expanding the medical college infrastructure under various CSS Schemes over last one decade so that medical education becomes more equitable and accessible across States. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for ‘Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. A total of 157 Medical Colleges have been approved in the various districts across the country. Further, support has also been provided for Strengthening/Upgradation of existing Sate Government/Central Government medical colleges to increase the number of MBBS (UG) and PG seats under another CSS Scheme. Under these schemes, additional 4977 MBBS seats and 8058 PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country.

Karnataka among top 3 states with highest internship slots for FMGs With 4,652 internship seats for academic year 2026-27,

Karnataka accounts for over 10 per cent of the total slots available nationwide.

DH Web Desk Last Updated : 11 March 2026, 19:15 IST

For representative purposeCredit: iStock photos Karnataka is among the states offering the highest number of internship seats for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in India, according to a circular issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday (March 10).

As per the state-wise matrix released by the NMC, Karnataka has 4,652 Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) seats available for FMGs for the academic year 2026–27. This accounts for over 10 percent of the total 43,250 internship slots available nationwide.

As per the data, Karnataka ranks among the top states offering internship seats for FMGs, with the first being Uttar Pradesh (5,034 seats), followed by Telangana (4,871 seats).

Other states with large numbers of seats include Maharashtra (3,662) and Tamil Nadu (3,126). The NMC released the state-wise and college-wise matrix while directing State Medical Councils to begin allotting internship slots to eligible FMGs.

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The data also shows that Karnataka has seen a significant increase in MBBS seats in recent years.

According to the NMC data, the state had 10,045 MBBS seats in the academic year 2021–22, which increased to 13,944 seats by 2025–26, marking an addition of 3,899 MBBS seats over four years.

Also Read:Karnataka gets highest number of medical seats in country Several other states have also recorded major increases in the same period. Telangana added 4,500 seats, the highest in the country, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 4,372 seats. Maharashtra added 2,929 seats, while Tamil Nadu added 2,325 seats. This expansion has significantly increased the pool of internship slots that can be allotted to foreign medical graduates.

As per the guidelines released by NMC, all seats added during and after the academic year 2022-23 will be allotted to FMGs for their Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI)

How CRMI seats for FMGs are calculated

The NMC advisory outlines how internship slots must be earmarked for FMGs in medical colleges.

As per the circular, State Medical Councils must allocate CRMI slots based on the following criteria:

7.5 per cent of the permitted intake of interns in established medical colleges

100 per cent of CRMI seats in newly established medical colleges

100 per cent of the seats added due to increased MBBS intake between academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26

These provisions were introduced after multiple representations and court cases filed by FMGs over delays and denial of internship opportunities in India.

The NMC has directed State Medical Councils to initiate the allotment process for eligible FMGs in coordination with their respective Directorates of Medical Education.

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Man gets 7-yr jail for holding two govt jobs Continued To Draw Pay From Health, Edu Depts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 11.03.2022

Lucknow : A local court in Barabanki sentenced a man to seven years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 for fraudulently securing and continuing two govt jobs simultaneously in the health and education departments using the same educational certificate.

Delivering the verdict on Tuesday, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Sudha Singh held convict Jaiprakash Singh guilty under the charges of IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 read with Section 471 (forgery of valuable security and using forged documents as genuine), and Section 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating).

The court noted that Jaiprakash Singh deliberately concealed facts and continued to draw salaries from two govt departments for years. The court also observed that the state govt is free to recover the salary and allowances received by the accused from both posts, as he illegally benefited from public funds.

According to prosecution officials, Jaiprakash, a resident of Narauli village in the Satrikh police station area, was initially appointed as an NMA (non-medical assistant) at the primary health centre (PHC), Sangipur in Pratapgarh district on Dec 26, 1979. Later, using the same educational marksheet and certificates, he secured another govt job as an assistant teacher under the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) in Barabanki on June 19, 1993.

Despite holding the post in the health department, Jaiprakash allegedly continued working as teacher in Barabanki while simultaneously drawing salary from both the departments. The case revealed that he remained associated with the primary school at Narauli in Harkh block of Barabanki for nearly 16 years, even while his records in the health department showed him as an employee at the Sangipur PHC in Pratapgarh. Times of India ePaper lucknow - Read Today’s Eng