Over 140 candidates from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category—defined as families with an annual income below Rs 8 lakh—have secured postgraduate medical seats in clinical specialities through management and NRI quotas in private colleges, where tuition fees range from Rs 25 lakh to over Rs 90 lakh annually. This revelation has raised serious questions among medical aspirants about the authenticity of the EWS certificates held by these candidates.
The first round of postgraduate medical seat allotments, announced on November 20, allocated over 24,600 seats nationwide. Among these, 135 seats from private college management quotas and eight from NRI quotas went to EWS-certified candidates.
Examples of these allocations include an MS Orthopaedics seat at Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, under the management quota. The seat, with a tuition fee of Rs 1.6 crore for the three-year course, was secured by an EWS candidate. Similarly, an MD Radiology seat under the NRI quota at Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Mysore, carrying an annual fee of Rs 91 lakh (totalling Rs 2.7 crore for the course), was also allotted to an EWS candidate.
The allocations have sparked outrage among NEET-PG aspirants, who claim a growing trend of candidates allegedly misusing EWS certificates. “It’s frustrating to see EWS candidates take seats in colleges charging fees in crores. The government must investigate and cancel such admissions,” said Aman Kaushik, a NEET-PG aspirant.
Also Read: Waterman Of India To Join Anant University As Professor
