In a recent development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aligned with the Medical Education Policy, officially abolished the NEET PG cutoff for all categories just two days ago. The directive to implement this change came directly from the Central Health Ministry to the National Medical Commission (NMC). This decision, as stated publicly, has been attributed to the recurring issue of vacant seats in medical colleges annually. Gujarat Pradesh Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil, has suggested that the decision may be connected to allegations of favouritism, suggesting that even the daughter of a BJP minister failed to secure full marks in the NEET exam.
Shaktisinh Gohil expressed his concerns on this matter via a tweet in Hindi. In his tweet, he questioned the rationale behind reducing NEET scores to zero, emphasising that the NEET exam has received the Supreme Court’s approval for medical college admissions. He also mentioned that some students had approached him, claiming that the government’s decision was influenced by the inability of a senior BJP minister’s daughter to achieve a perfect score in NEET. He urged anyone with further information to come forward and share it.
Media reports have shed light on the consistent rise in meetings for PG Medical admissions year after year, with Gujarat witnessing a surge this year, surpassing 400 meetings. Despite this increase in meetings, the number of available seats for admission has remained static. High fees have put medical education out of reach for many students, resulting in numerous vacant seats. This trend persisted this year as well, with thousands of seats remaining unfilled in both PG Medical and Dental courses, despite approval from the central government. Consequently, the qualifying cutoff marks for NEET in all categories, including General and SC/ST, were reduced by 25 percent this year. Notably, the central government has taken an even more drastic step by reducing the cutoff marks to zero. This implies that all eligible students applying for medical admission through NEET will secure a place this year.
Looking ahead, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to administer the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2023 on Sunday. Approximately 21 lakh students have registered for NEET-UG 2023, including 80,000 students from Gujarat. The registration deadline was extended by three days to April 15 due to the high demand from students. In comparison, last year saw 18.72 lakh students registering for the exam nationwide, with 79,000 students from Gujarat. NEET-UG serves as the centralised entrance exam for undergraduate medical and dental programs.
The upcoming exam will take place at 163 centres across the state, including 20 in Ahmedabad, where around 11,000 students are expected to appear. It’s worth noting that 90% of the chosen exam centres are affiliated with CBSE. Exam timings are scheduled from 2 pm to 5 pm, with students allowed to enter the centre between 11 am and 1.30 pm. Importantly, electronic devices such as phones and digital watches will not be permitted inside the exam centre.
Following the NEET-UG exam, the process for admissions to medical and dental courses will commence. This year, medical colleges are expected to witness a substantial surge in applications for MBBS and BDS courses.
Furthermore, the health ministry’s recent decision to reduce the NEET MDS 2023 qualifying cutoff criteria to zero has also led to revisions in the NEET MDS 2023 cutoff scores. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) officially announced the new minimum qualifying cutoffs for MDS candidates. These changes affect various categories, with the general category now requiring a minimum score of 167, down from the previous 272. For unreserved PwBD category candidates, the new qualifying criteria stand at 149, as opposed to the previous 255. Meanwhile, SC, ST, and OBC candidates now need a minimum score of 125, down from 238 previously. These adjustments do not impact the NEET-MDS 2023 rank published on March 10. Further details can be found on the official website at natboard.edu.in.
The NEET MDS 2023 exam took place on March 1 in a computer-based format after being postponed from its initial January 8 date. This exam is pivotal for candidates aspiring to secure admission in various Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) courses for the 2023-24 academic session. The examination was conducted across 76 centres nationwide. NEET MDS remains a crucial postgraduate entrance exam, comprising two parts with a total of 240 questions and offering approximately 6,200 seats under the 50 percent All India Quota (AIQ) and 50 percent state quotas.
