Education, Careers & Professional News
Additional MBBS Seats Causes Controversy
The filling up of two new state quotas in MBBS seats has caused a controversy which the Mizo Students Union has taken up accusing the government of ignoring standing rules of the Higher & Technical Education department.
Calling a press conference today at the Aizawl Press Club, the organisation`s president Buansanga said the state government had blatantly ignored the rules by allocating a seat at Lady Hardinge College, New Delhi to Evelyn Lalremsiami Hmar who was listed as 142 in the order of merit list for consideration of getting a state quota MBBS seat.
Mizoram has a quota of 29 MBBS seats in medical colleges all over the country. To fill up the quotas, the state H&T Education department had compiled a merit list from Class XII students. The seats were duly filled up according to the merit list.
However, ex-MLA H. Laltanpuia, whose daughter Evelyn had no chance of making into the top 29 slots, had approached chief minister for help in procuring a seat for his daughter. Chief Minister Zoramthanga had then approached both Doner minister P.R. Kyndiah and Union health minister A. Ramadoss on the ex-MLA`s behalf. Also involved was former Union health minister Dr. C. Silver who also wrote to the Union health minister.
As a result of the requests, the Central government allocated two more MBBS seats for Mizoram, one in Patna Medical College and another in Lady Hardinge Medical College, from the Central pool.
What seems to have transpired was that the Centre had first given a seat at Patna Medical College which H. Laltanpuia declined. He then tried for a seat at Lady Hardinge Medical College which was eventually granted by the Centre.
While Evelyn was allocated this additional seat at Lady Hardinge, a candidate next on the merit list, which happened to be 32nd as two had opted out from the first 29 and the 30th and 31st had taken their places, was given the Patna seat.
MSU members said while the Patna seat had been filled up according to the merit list, the government had shown undue favour to Evelyn Lalremsangi Hmar, who was only the 142nd on the list, by allocating to her the Lady Hardinge seat.
This is rape of the system and we will not tolerate it. We are going to hand over today an ultimatum to the H&T Education department to rectify the matter before the week is over, Buansanga said.
The MSU said since the additional allocation of seats was made by the Central government without naming any particular person, the government has to give the seat to the next deserving student on the merit list.
This is going to set a dangerous precedent by those who can curry favour with powerful people. We are not averse to having two more additional seats, but we will not tolerate this kind of favouritism which can badly hurt the sentiments of deserving students, K. Laldinthara, MSU advisor said.
The MSU was strong in its stand that even if it means the loss of an additional seat and a one year loss to the student concerned, they would pursue the matter until a rectification is made as it is for the good of the majority.
The MSU also alleged that chief minister Zoramthanga had instructed the H&T Education director Dr. H. Malsawma to give the Lady Hardinge College seat to Evelyn Lalremsangi Hmar when the allocation of two additional seats was intimated to the government of Mizoram.
According to the MSU, the Delhi Mizo Zirlai Pawl, All India Mizo Medical Students Union, Shillong Mizo Students Union and other Mizo student organisations have criticised the seat allotment and given support to the MSU of Mizoram.
Without the two new additional seats, Mizoram`s MBBS seat quota had been 18 seats from the Central Pool, 10 seats at Regional Institute of Medicine, Imphal and one seat at Nagpur from the NEC`s quota.