Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday, February 22, announced that students from government schools will be provided reservation in medical colleges of the state. He also explained several other initiatives of his government with regard to medical education.
Speaking in a programme at Lamta in the Balaghat district of MP, Chouhan said, "Admissions to medical colleges are done on the basis of the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) exam. We will give reservations to students of government schools, irrespective of caste, in medical studies," as per a report by PTI.
Asking the gathering if students from poor families and farmers' children should become doctors or not, Chouhan said that the new quota would ensure that a certain number of students from government schools get into medical colleges. "Government school children will have to be given protection, otherwise they will fall behind compared to those studying in private schools," he added.
The Chief Minister then emphasised that the state government would pay the medical college fees of students from poor families. "The state government has also been improving government schools," he said citing the opening of CM Rise Schools. He additionally announced that a new medical college would be started at Balaghat, as per PTI.