Retain ₹8 lakh EWS cap for admissions, suggests panel

Will Tweak Other Criteria Next Year: Govt To SC

Will Tweak Other Criteria Next Year: 

Govt To  SC

Dhananjay.Mahapaatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.01.2022

The committee set up to evaluate the ₹8 lakh income limit for economically weaker section candidates in admissions to educational institutions recommended retention of the qualifying mark and the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it accepts the reasoning. This development may set in motion the resumption of the counselling process for the NEET-PG seats that is currently held up.

The Centre on Sunday told the Supreme Court that it would stick to the ₹8 lakh annual income limit criteria that entitles EWS candidates to a 10% reservation in ad- missions to educational institutions, including medical colleges, and government jobs, but promised to tweak other EWS-related criteria a bit from next year.

The committee advised implementation of its recommendations from next year, which would mean the EWS quota admissions for medical admissions for the present academic year, which is yet to be completed, would be on the basis of the 2019 criteria. “The existing system, which is going on since 2019, if disturbed at the end or fag-end of the process would create more complications than expected both for the beneficiaries as well as for the authorities,” the committee said. › Family income,

Centre’s defence a double-edged sword

The Centre’s defence against lowering ₹8 lakh income cap may spark cheers among the upper caste but may adversely affect its moves on OBC ‘creamy layer’. The ministry of social justice has showed the contrast between the ₹8 lakh for EWS and the same limit as OBC creamy layer cap, and arguing that the former is much more strict. P 10

 

Verify UGNEET-2021 papers at KEA office

---

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:

02.02.2022

Karnataka Examinations Authority released documents’ verification schedule for UGNEET-2021 (National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test), which is for admission to medical, dental and ayush courses for 2021.

The documents will be verified at the KEA office in Malleswaram, 18th Cross.

Candidates must download the verification slip and read the instructions given in the information bulletin between 11am on January 12 and 8pm on January15.

Karnataka candidates who are required to appear for document verification should produce the KEA UGNEET-2021 application printout, verification slip, UGNEET-2021 score card and other required original documents along with any valid identity card.

In a release, KEA directed all candidates to be personally present for the document verification as per schedule; no one can represent them.

Candidates who have been assigned ranks in UGCET-2021 and completed their document verification and those not claiming any addi- tional reservation need not appear for the verification again. However, those claiming reservation as per government norms (linguistics, religious minority or NRI) or those claiming seats under category-2 and category-8 in St John’s Medical College, have to appear for document verification with relevant certificates and documents.

Verification for such candidates is from January 6 to11 (from NEET all-India rank 1 to last eligible rank). The verification will be conducted in four sessions, between 9. 15am and 6. 15pm.

Verification for NRI/ PIO/OCI and foreign nationals will be on January13.

Non-Karnataka candidates who have qualified in UGNEET-2021 and registered with KEA need not appear for verification of documents. However, those who are eligible to claim NRI ward, religious minority or seat under category-2 and category-8 in St John’s Medical College, must appear for verification on January 12 and 13 based on their schedule.

For more details on schedule and slots, visit KEA website kea. kar. nic. in

Raj Bhavan considering NEET exemption Bill

Raj Bhavan considering NEET exemption Bill

It responds to question under RTI Act

29/12/2021

R.N. Ravi

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

The Bill to admit students to undergraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu on the basis of the Class XII marks is “under consideration” of Governor R.N. Ravi, the Raj Bhavan has said in response to a question under the RTI Act.

P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu, had sought information on the status of the Bill and the action taken by the Governor.

“The file is under consideration,” the Raj Bhavan said in a response given, on December 17, by S. Venkateshwaran, under-secretary to the Governor and Public Information Officer.

Mr. Babu had also asked the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and the Chief Secretary’s office whether any letter or question was received from the Governor and whether the State had sent any reply or reminder. The Chief Secretary’s office clarified that he is not an official designated to share information (or an appellate authority) under the Act.

Call off stir, engaged with SC to solve EWS quota issue: Centre

Call off stir, engaged with SC to solve EWS quota issue: Centre

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:29.12.2021

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday urged resident doctors to call off their strike over the delay in NEET-PG counselling in the larger interest of the public and said the Centre is engaged with the Supreme Court to quickly resolve the issue regarding the EWS quota.

In a meeting with the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (Forda), Mandaviya assured all requisite steps are being taken by the government and a suitable reply with respect to the EWS report will be submitted to the SC before the scheduled date of hearing on January 6. “We are not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub judice before the Supreme Court. The Government of India will submit a reply to the apex court before the scheduled date of hearing on January 6. We request the court to expedite the issue so that the counselling can be started at the earliest,” he said.

The apex court is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the government and a medical counselling committee (MCC) notice issued in July, providing 10% quota for the EWS (economically weaker sections) category and reservation for OBC (Other Backward Classes) in the All India Quota (AIQ) in medical admission through NEET. It has raised questions on the EWS income limit criteria and in the process the counselling process for NEET-PG has been stalled.

As per the legislation ratified by Parliament in January 2019, a general category student or candidate whose family income is less than Rs 8 lakh per year is eligible for EWS reservation.

While a set of petitions have challenged the income limit criterion of EWS at Rs 8 lakh per annum, the government told the SC in November that it will re-examine the limit with a committee headed by former finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey going into it. However, that would mean the counselling for the NEET post-graduate medical courses will be further postponed by four weeks.

The legal deadlock has in turn resulted in uncertainties for MBBS aspirants as well as resident doctors seeking admission to PG degrees. A large number of resident doctors on Tuesday protested on the premises of the Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital.

MANDAVIYA SAYS

We are not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub judice before the Supreme Court

3 mths on, guv yet to forward anti-NEET Bill to President

3 mths on, guv yet to forward anti-NEET Bill to President

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.12.2021

The Tamil Nadu assembly’s unanimous anti-NEET Bill seeking to nullify the national-level test for MBBS admissions is still lying with the governor’s office, more than three months after it was sent to the Raj Bhavan. The governor is yet to forward it to the President for assent.

The information was furnished in response to an application under the Right To Information (RTI) Act filed by P B Prince Gajendrababu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System (SPCSS). The RTI plea sought to know the action taken by the governor on the Bill and its current status.

R N Ravi assumed charge as Governor of Tamil Nadu on September 18. In his reply dated December 17, S Venkateshwaran, under secretary to governor/ public information officer, stated that "the file is under consideration."

Tamil Nadu Assembly passed The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Act, 2021 on September 13, to provide admission to medical courses only on the basis of Class XII marks in board examinations.

"Though Article 200 of the Constitution did not specify the time limit for the governor, it says the decision may be taken "as soon as possible." A governor is entitled to take his time to study the Bill and seek legal advice. However, the Constitution does not allow undue delay," Prince Gajendrababu told TOI. He further urged the governor to send the Bill to the President for assent.

SPCSS president P Ratnasabapathy said the forum would go on a hunger strike on January 30 demanding presidential assent to the NEET Bill.

A high-level committee, headed by Justice A K Rajan, former judge of Madras high court, set up by the DMK government in June, reported to the government that NEET had undermined the diverse societal representation in MBBS and higher medical courses, favoured affluent groups and thwarted the dream of underprivileged to pursue medical education. The committee said the NEET neither seemed to ensure merit nor standard of the students being offered MBBS under its purview.

Following the recommendation, the state government adopted the Bill with the support of all Opposition parties, except BJP, in the assembly.

PMK seeks clarification on NEET Bill status from DMK

PMK seeks clarification on NEET Bill status from DMK

Chennai:21.12.2021

PMK leader S Ramadoss on Monday sought clarification from the DMK government on the status of the NEET Bill, given that 100 days have passed since it was passed in the state legislature and sent for assent from governor R N Ravi and President Kovind. There is no other reason but politics for the governor not to give assent to the Bill, Ramadoss alleged.

“The Bill was passed on September 13 for medical admission on the basis of marks obtained by students in class 12 board examinations. All parties except BJP had endorsed the Bill. There has been no progress barring passage of the Bill,” Ramadoss said. He said a Bill to cancel the entrance examination for medical and engineering admission was passed in December 2006 and the entire process, including assent for the Bill, was given in 86 days, which was the correct duration. TNN

NEET-AIQ : Modified Scheme To Be Implemented For 2021-22 UG & PG Conuselling, MCC Tells Supreme Court

NEET-AIQ : Modified Scheme To Be Implemented For 2021-22 UG & PG Conuselling, MCC Tells Supreme Court: The Medical Council Committee ofDirectorate General of Health Serv

All-India med admissions now in four rounds

All-India med admissions now in four rounds

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:19.12.2021

Admissions to all-India quota seats in undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses will now be done by the Centre in four rounds instead of two. The move will bring in more transparency in the counselling process and ensure there is no violation of merit.

However, students from Maharashtra will be left with 200-225 fewer MBBS seats during the state round of admissions.

For UG admissions, around 1,700 of the total 7,000 seats in the country were returned to states at the end of the second rounds previously.

Based on an affidavit filed by the ministry of health and family welfare, the Supreme Court directed the medical counselling committee (MCC) of the directorate general of health services to conduct admissions to 15% undergraduate and 50% postgraduate seats under the all-India quota in four rounds.

This will mean that in addition to the first two all-India rounds, mop-up and stray vacancy rounds will also be conducted for 2021-22 admissions. Earlier only the all-India rounds were conducted by MCC and the vacant seats were returned to the state. An official from the ministry said that this was an anomaly in the admission process, which has now been corrected.

In 2021, NEET merits slip by up to 15 marks in Guj

In 2021, NEET merits slip by up to 15 marks in Guj

Bharat.Yagnik@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:  16.12.2021

Gujarat students did not fare very well in the Nation Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), the uniform exam for admission in under-graduate medical courses in the country, in 2021. In fact, the pandemic year which saw the worst-ever second wave of death and disease due to Covid-19 has recorded merits of state students slipping by up to 15 marks.

Analysis of the merit list of NEET scores of 5,000 students of the state for the year 2021 reveals that from 500 rank onwards, the NEET score has consistently slipped as compared to year 2020.

For instance, a student at 500 rank in merit list has a score of 610 out of 700 this year which was 618 in 2020. Similarly, the analysis of scores at 900, 2,000, 3,000, 4000 and 5,000 ranks also shows a decline in merit ranging from nine to 15 marks.

From 500 rank onwards, the NEET score has consistently slipped

‘Online coaching reason for drop in cutoff’

Experts said that considering the slip in merit, it is expected that the cutoff for admissions in 5,000-odd medical seats in the state will go down. Students termed completely online coaching and schooling as the primary reason behind decline in NEET merit marks saying virtual learning did not give them enough scope to clear their doubts and give their best shot.

The few exceptions to this trend are that students in first place on the NEET merit in Gujarat have scored 715 marks. In 2020, the student on top of the list had 710 marks. Also, at 100th place, the merit this year is 667 which is four marks higher than the 663 score posted in 2020.

Anay Nanavati, a medical aspirant who scored 618 marks says that they studied virtually under immense stress of the deadly Covid second wave. "In 2020, students had completed their course and were on study leave when Covid struck. For us, the whole class 12 and NEET coaching was online which adversely impacted performance. I personally feel my score would have been 50 marks higher if I had physically attended classes," said Nanavati.

Medical intake: Documents of 390 candidates verified

Ahmedabad:

As many as 390 candidates have got their documents verified in the second round of admission for medical, dental, ayurveda, and homeopathy colleges. So far, 25,008 candidates have been registered in the two rounds of admissions conducted by Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate & Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC) this year. In the second phase, out of total 177 students registered in the open category, 120 completed document verification process. A total of 536 students have registered, of which documents of only 390 have been verified so far. The committee had earlier announced that it has completed the registration process for self-financed ayurveda and homeopathy courses for 15% all India quota. A total of 26,186 had purchased the PINs. TNN

Doctors protest delay in PG NEET counselling

Doctors protest delay in PG NEET counselling

They are only performing COVID duties

07/12/2021

Up in arms: Resident doctors staging a protest in the Capital on Monday. SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Staff Reporter New Delhi

Over 4,000 resident doctors of the Central Government-run Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College on Monday boycotted work, as a protest against the delay in PG NEET counselling, said the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA).

“Over 4,000 resident doctors from the three hospitals boycotted work except for COVID-19 duties. The counselling for PG admission is stuck as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court,” FORDA president Manish said.

A FORDA delegation also met the Union Health Minister at RML Hospital. “The Health Minister assured us that he has taken note of our grievances and that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare will get the case mentioned in the SC for an early hearing,” FORDA said.

Tamil Nadu resident docs to go on strike today

Tamil Nadu resident docs to go on strike today

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.12.2021

Protesting the delay in NEET PG counselling and admissions, residents doctors at medical college hospitals in Tamil Nadu will be withdrawing from outpatient department services on Wednesday. New doctors are unable to join hospitals because of the delay in counselling. As a result, the existing batch of resident doctors are overburdened and are made to work up for 18-hour long shifts and without adequate leaves. The primary reason for the delay in NEET PG counselling is the union government's indecision over the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) seats. The counselling was originally scheduled to begin on October 25. But the government recently told the Supreme Court that it has decided to postpone the PG admission process by another four weeks as it was reconsidering the Rs.8 lakh annual income criteria for EWS quota seats.

This leaves the new batch of 4,500 resident doctors in a lurch as they will not be able to join the state's health force anytime soon. And the existing resident doctors, who are already under severe stress and fatigue in the middle of the pandemic, must continue work without adequate breaks.

These doctors, who have worked without juniors, claim to do the bulk of work in medical college hospitals. They prepare case sheets, investigate patients in wards, perform bedside duties, dressings, assist surgeries in operation theatres and ready health insurance related documents.

Soon, the final year students will also be leaving the colleges. So, the workload will fall on the single batch of PG students, said V Vignesh from TN Resident Doctors' Association. "Covid-19 has taught everybody to take doctors for granted. There is no respite for us. With inadequate sleep and fatigue, our health has taken a beating," he said.

At present, 80% of the resident doctors are in conventional treatment wards and the rest are assisting covid patients. This could change if the new variants of the virus are detected here. So, TNRDA has requested the state health department to take up the issue with the union government and stress to get the new batch of doctors on duty at the earliest possible.

Resident doctors in other Indian states have already begun the strike stressing similar demands.

The doctors, who will withdraw from outpatient services on Wednesday, are protesting against delay in NEET PG counselling, admissions

NEET-UG 2021 : Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Alleging Rigging Of OMR Sheets, Discrepancy In Final Results

NEET-UG 2021 : Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Alleging Rigging Of OMR Sheets, Discrepancy In Final Results

Shruti Kakkar29 Nov 2021 3:59 PM

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice in a writ petition preferred by 6 NEET-UG candidates who allege rigging of their OMR sheets after the publication of the answer keys by the National Testing Agency.

Alleging widespread discrepancies in NTA's scoring process, the petitioners challenge their marks and ranks secured in the test which was conducted on September 12, 2021 by the National Testing Agency.

The matter was listed before the bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna.

It has been argued that there was a huge difference between the marks which the petitioners had calculated based on the answer keys published by the NTA and the final marks declared by the NTA on November 1, 2021. One of the petitioners allege that his score as per the answer key was 584 but the final result showed 164. According to another petitioner, his score based on the answer key was 675 but the final result showed 52 marks. Another petitioner's final score was zero, though his estimate as per the answer key was 545 marks.

"It appears that to be massive rigging in the screening of the OMR sheet soon after the publication of the answer keys and consequent uploading of OMR sheet for self assessment and before the actual declaration of result and score card on NTA's website which has resulted in glaring discrepancy in the marks obtained by the petitioners," the petition states.

Referring to the comparative tabulation of marks, the petitioners have contended that it is "manifestly evident" that there has been a huge margin in the scores obtained by them.

It has further been averred that something is utterly wrong on NTA's part which needs to be addressed by instituting investigations against the authority.

Petitioners in their petition have referred to the news for leaking the question paper and criminal conspiracy to sabotage the fair process of exam in regards to which several FIR's were registered at different places in India.

The sum and substance of the initial investigation in these FIR's had established rampant use of unscrupulous means and unfair practices to manipulate the results for benefiting the rich and non merit candidates, the petitioners have stated.

In light of this background it has been stated in the petition that,

"There are malpractices and corrupt practices which are undergoing on at the levels which the innocent, deserving and meritorious petitioners cannot imagine which has resulted in arbitrariness and rejection of meritorious candidates and as such is violative of their rights under Article 14 of the Constitution of India."

The matter will be next heard on December 13, 2021.

Senior Advocate Manoj Swarup with Rajan Kumar Singh (AOR) and Rakesh kumar Singh Advocate appeared for the Petitioners

The petition is filed through Advocate on Record Ranjan Kumar Singh.

Case : WP(C) 1286/2021

Doctors’ stir may affect services at city hospitals

Doctors’ stir may affect services at city hospitals

New Delhi: 27.11.2021

Resident doctors of Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) have decided to boycott the OPD services on Saturday to protest delay in NEET PG counselling.

Patient services at Lok Nayak, Ram Manohar Lohia and several other hospitals in Delhi are likely to be affected by it. Sources said the resident doctors’ association of these hospitals have informed their respective administrative of their participation in the strike. Inpatient services shall continue as usual, doctors said. According to FORDA, the delay in admission to PG NEET is impacting the morale and performance of residents. TNN

Delay in NEET PG counselling: Docs call for strike

Delay in NEET PG counselling: Docs call for strike

Ahmedabad:27.11.2021

Faced with repeated delays and postponement of NEET PG counselling 2021, the Junior Doctors Association at BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital have called for a strike from November 29.

JDA said on Friday that all its members and resident doctors will withdraw from out patient department services from Monday if counselling process is not fast-tracked by the concerned authority.

On Saturday, JDA at BJMC will sensitize resident doctors regarding their grievances and plan of action. On Sunday, they will give a memorandum to the director for PG courses at BJMC, wear black ribbons and carry out a candle march on the hospital campus. “On Monday all resident doctors will withdraw from OPD/ ward services,” it said. TNN

K’taka students among 10,000 NEET toppers double in 2 years

K’taka students among 10,000 NEET toppers double in 2 years

Delay Provided More Time For Prep: Experts

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:  26.11.2021

The number of students from Karnataka among those securing the top 10,000 ranks in NEET-UG has more than doubled this year from pre-Covid times — 436 state students made it to the 1-10,000 bracket as compared to 351 in 2020 and 198 in 2019.

The number of those who secured more than 700 marks out of 720 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) this year was nearly four times more than that of 2020. As many as 11 students from Karnataka scored above 700 in 2021. As per the data shared by National Testing Agency, no student could get over 700 in 2019. In 2020, three students managed to make the cut.

In the top 50,000 ranks, there are 2,291 students from Karnataka, an increase of 279. In the first one lakh students, 5,364 are from Karnataka. The number was only 4,775 in 2020.

In the bracket of 650-699 marks, Karnataka has 212 students this year, as against 143 last year and 32 in 2019. In all, there are 629 students who scored above 99 percentile from Karnataka. The number of students in the 600-649 bracket remains more or less the same with only nine more entering it. In the 550-599 group, 42 more students secured the marks, taking the total to 1,328.

The trend in Karnataka is in sync with the national performance, where there is an 83% increase in the total number of candidates scoring more than 700. TOI had reported that state-wise candidates from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh continued their dominance in the exam.

Experts say the numbers are overwhelming. “There are two reasons why students are scoring well in NEET,” said Sridhar G, founder, Deeksha. “When NEET started, the physics and chemistry papers were on a par with JEE papers. But after the pandemic, the papers were made simple and faithful to NCERT,” he said.

“Additionally, with board exams getting cancelled students could focus completely on NEET. The delay in conducting the test also gave them more time to prepare,” he added.

Sridhar said this has also contributed to improvement in the relative performance of Karnataka students in comparison with other states. “This is because in Karnataka most students who take NEET are first-timers. Unlike states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, repeating is not a culture here, as the engineering options are very good. Repeaters have the advantage of not focusing on board exams, which the freshers also got this time. This provided a levelplaying field to both,” he said.

Mahesh Yadav, south India head of Allen career institute, said students have also adjusted well to the online mode. “Last year, they were not as comfortable with online classes as they were this year. They have been in regular touch with teachers now. With classes going online, students also saved time they spent on travel,” he said.

However, whether the cutoff for UG medical/dental admissions will rise will depend on the seat matrix, which is yet to be announced in Karnataka.

We’ll revisit ₹8L EWS quota criteria: Centre

We’ll revisit ₹8L EWS quota criteria: Centre

Decision In 4 Weeks, Govt Tells The SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:26.11.2021

After facing a barrage of questions from the Supreme Court over fixing an annual income limit of ₹8 lakh for determining economically weaker sections (EWS), the Centre on Thursday agreed to “revisit” the criteria for the “economically backward among forwards” to get reservation benefits in government jobs and educational institutions.

Appearing before a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said he had been instructed to make a statement before the bench that the government has decided to revisit the criteria, adding that a committee will be set up to examine the issue and sought four weeks time to take a final decision.

An immediate fallout of the decision to re-examine the criteria for determination of EWS is that counselling process for PG admissions would have to be deferred — at least for the month-long period sought by the Centre — till a decision on EWS eligibility is taken. “The Solicitor General states that a period of four weeks would be required for this exercise and pending its conclusion, the date for counselling shall stand postponed in view of the assurance which was tendered at an earlier stage of these proceedings. In view of the above position, the hearing of the proceedings shall be listed on January 6, 2022,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by MBBS doctors challenging Centre’s decision to implement 27% reservation for OBCs and 10% reservation for EWS in admission in PG courses in medical colleges in All India Quota.

Panel to see if NEET question is correct

The NTA has agreed before the SC to set up a panel of three experts to decide the correctness of a physics question in the Hindi version of NEET(UG) question paper after a discrepancy was pointed out by some students. In the Hindi version of the question, words “amplitude of current” had been omitted, students said. P 12

‘Govt should take a decision on EWS in 2 weeks’

Though the litigation pertains to admission in PG medical courses, admission process in all governmentrun institutions and recruitment of government jobs will be affected.

When the matter was being argued in court in October, the apex court expressed displeasure over Centre not adequately explaining the basis for fixing income limit of ₹8 lakh for granting reservation to EWS, and directed it to file an affidavit to disclose whether any exercise was done and what was the rationale behind fixing the limit. The court had also questioned the uniform income criteria adopted for the entire country and suggested cost of living or per capita income be considered.

The Centre has referred to the Sinho commission recommendations for fixing the income limit and argued that it would not be easy or practicable to consider differentiated criteria given disparities in urban and rural settings.

The court asked how ₹8 lakh could be fixed for both EWS and OBC category to be eligible for reservation. It had said there was a social and educational backwardness attached with OBC category and it was presumed that their backwardness comes to an end with economic advancement. It had said the EWS category was different with no social and educational backwardness as a constitutional criteria and fixing the same income limit for both categories looked unreasonable.

Agreeing to examine the concern raised by the bench, the Centre has now sought four weeks time to re-examine the criteria and to take a final decision.

As the admission process for PG courses is getting delayed, senior advocate Arvind Datar contended that the government should implement its decision to enforce OBC and EWS reservation in All India Quota from next academic year or government should take a decision on EWS criteria within two weeks.

Experts to study if NEET question in Hindi got lost in translation

Experts to study if NEET question in Hindi got lost in translation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:26.11.2021

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday agreed before the Supreme Court to set up a committee of three experts to decide the correctness of a Physics question in the Hindi version of NEET (UG) question paper after a discrepancy was pointed out by some candidates who took the exam in the Hindi medium.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath said only those who are experts in Physics and also well-conversed in both Hindi and English could decide whether there was any discrepancy in the question paper. Some of the medical aspirants who chose the Hindi medium in the MBBS entrance examination alleged that there was an error in question number 2 of the Physics section.

They alleged that in the Hindi version of the question, words “amplitude of current” had been omitted and candidates who attempted the question based on the Hindi translation arrived at a different answer. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for NTA, said the best way to deal with the issue was to take the help of experts and agreed to set up a panel. The bench posted the case for November 30.

“During the course of the hearing, Tushar Mehta, solicitor general, has submitted that in order to allay the apprehensions of students who appeared for NEET (UG) 2021 with Hindi as the medium, the solutions to both the Hindi and English versions of Question No 2 of Section-A in Physics Paper (Code P2) shall be evaluated again by a committee consisting of three experts. After this process is done, it has been submitted that an affidavit would be filed setting out the result of the evaluation of the solutions,” the bench said.

Some of the medical aspirants who chose Hindi medium in the MBBS entrance examination alleged that there was an error in question two of the Physics section

MBBS cut-off may dip by up to 10 marks for first time since NEET

UG MED SEATS UP

MBBS cut-off may dip by up to 10 marks for first time since NEET

1,500 Additional Medical Seats At 11 New Colleges Is Affecting Cut Off Marks: Experts

A Ragu Raman & Pushpa Narayan | TNN

24.11.2021

Cut-off for MBBS admissions in Tamil Nadu is likely to come down by at least 10 marks in various categories in 2021 making the process easy despite a marginal improvement in performance by TN students in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). This is because the number of undergraduate medical seats – both in government and private sector – have gone up.

This is the first time the cut-off has dropped since 2017. This year, 235 TN students scored more than 650 marks in NEET compared to 205 last year, according to National Testing Agency data. The number of TN students who scored above 500 was 5,148 in 2021 against 5,240 in 2020 and those who scored above 450 was 8,319 in 2021 against 8,316 in 2020.

“The difference is not stark enough to impact the cutoff,” said students’ counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “But the additional MBBS seats this year will make all the difference. The open category cut-off for government medical colleges may come down to 585 from 598 in 2020. Likewise the cut-off for other categories including BC and MBC also will come down by up to 15 marks.”

The 11 new government medical colleges in TN will add 1,450 MBBS seats to the seat matrix. In addition, the Coimbatore government medical college will admit 200 students in 2021 – 50 more than in 2020. In addition, at least three self-financing medical colleges, a private university and deemed universities have been permitted to start undergraduate medical programmes.

Several top scorers from TN are now eyeing seats in central institutions such as AIIMS and JIPMER. “I thought it was best to study in a college closest to home. But my nephew now has scored more than 600. So he is exploring the option of studying in AIIMS in other states,” said S Senthil Kumar, who works for a pharmaceutical company.

If more toppers choose seats from the all India basket, cut-off could fall further, experts say. “But they may not get the college of choice unless they score high. The cut-off for top institutions like Madras Medical College will be high because there is no change in the number of seats there,” said Nandhini V, who coaches students for NEET.

The cut-off for government school students, under the special 7.5% quota, is unlikely to come down, says Dr Prasad Mane, secretary of Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association which trains government school students for NEET. “Of 1,500 government medical seats, around 100 will be added to 7.5% special reservation. So, it will not bring down the cut-off drastically.”

However, more government school students may join private colleges under special reservation as the government has promised to pay their fee. Last year, 400 government students joined MBBS under special reservation.

NEET-UG sees 83% rise in top scorers

NEET-UG sees 83% rise in top scorers

But Unlike In 2020, Cutoffs For MBBS/BDS Admission May Not Go Up This Year

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 23.11.2021

This year’s NEET-Undergraduate exam registered an 83% increase in the total number of candidates scoring 700 and above out of 720, with 203 candidates scoring marks in that range as compared to111 last year.

However, unlike in 2020, the cutoffs for MBBS/ BDS admission is not going to see any spike this year as there is a marginal drop in the number of candidates scoring in the mark ranges of 600 and above and 500 and above.

State-wise candidates from Rajasthan and UP continued their dominance in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) exam recording the biggest gain in the high scorer range. These states are joined by Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal which have seen an increase in the number of candidates scoring between 650 and 699 marks.

While in absolute numbers the number of candidates scoring 700 and above marks have increased significantly, the proportion to the qualified candidates have increased by just 0.01% from that of last year, while the percentage of candidates scoring in the mark range of 650-699 and 600-649 have decreased by 0.1% and 0.4% respectively. Percentage of candidates to the total qualified scoring 550-599 marks too have decreased by 0.6% this year.

In absolute numbers candidates scoring 600 marks and above dropped from 20,181 in 2020 to 19,135 in 2021. Similarly, the number of candidates scoring 500 marks and above dropped from 87,093 in 2020 to 85,022 in 2021. These mark ranges form the key cohort for counselling and allocation of seats. The total number of candidates scoring 450 marks and above increased to 1,33,906 and an increase of 1.5% from last year. The three-year NEETUG score data, exclusively accessed by the TOI, reveals that 64.3% (86,128) candidates in the mark range of 450 and above are from just eight states — Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

In all, there are around 81,000 MBBS and 39,000 BDS seats available for aspirants this year. Total number of MBBS seats under NEET 2020 has increased with AIIMS and JIPMER MBBS seats. In the government run institutions, which include AIIMS and JIPMER there are around 42,500 seats.

The states from where this significant increase in top scorers is seen are Delhi, (from 261 to 376), Rajasthan (from 519 to 729), Karnataka (from 146 to 223) and Tamil Nadu (from 205 to 235).

83% increase in top scorers in NEET this year but cut-offs unlikely to spike

83% increase in top scorers in NEET this year but cut-offs unlikely to spike

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:23.11.2021

This year’s NEET-Undergraduate exam registered an 83% increase in the total number of candidates scoring 700 and above out of 720, with 203 candidates scoring marks in that range as compared to 111 last year.

However, unlike in 2020, the cutoffs for MBBS/ BDS admission is not going to see any spike this year as there is a marginal drop in the number of candidates scoring in the mark ranges of 600 and above and 500 and above.

State-wise candidates from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh continued their dominance in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) exam recording the biggest gain in the high scorer range. These states are joined by Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal which have seen an increase in the number of candidates scoring between 650 and 699 marks.

While in absolute numbers the number of candidates scoring 700 and above marks have increased significantly, the proportion to the qualified candidates have increased by just 0.01% from that of last year, while the percentage of candidates scoring in the mark range of 650-699 and 600-649 have decreased by 0.1% and 0.4% respectively. Percentage of candidates to the total qualified scoring 550-599 marks too have decreased by 0.6% this year.

In absolute numbers candidates scoring 600 marks and above dropped from 20,181 in 2020 to 19,135 in 2021. Similarly, the number of candidates scoring 500 marks and above dropped from 87,093 in 2020 to 85,022 in 2021. These mark ranges form the key cohort for counselling and allocation of seats. The total number of candidates scoring 450 marks and above increased to 1,33,906 and an increase of 1.5% from last year.

The three-year NEETUG score data, exclusively accessed by the TOI, reveals that 64.3% (86,128) candidates in the mark range of 450 and above are from just eight states — Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Full report on www.toi.in