Move to pool PG seats for AIQ in J&K is opposed by students, medicos and doctors

The Jammu and Kashmir administration had proposed a move that 50 per cent of postgraduate seats from the Government Medical College (GMC) and all the seats of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) would be pooled for the All India Quota (AIQ) this year. But the move has not gone down well with the medicos and doctors from the UT, who staged a protest against it on June 23.

Accompanied by medical students, the doctors staged a protest in front of the GMC office in Jammu, demanding that the idea should be kept for later until more postgraduate seats are allotted to new medical colleges in the Union Territory, as per a report by PTI.

Dr Shushant Kharke, one of the protesters, said, "The idea, if implemented, will harm the interests of the aspiring PG candidates of Jammu and Kashmir as we have a meagre number of seats which would be further reduced. If 50 per cent of PG seats of the GMC and all SKIMS are filled through the All India Quota, only 172 seats would be reserved for the domiciled aspirants. The MBBS courses have been started at five newly opened Government Medical Colleges in Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri, Doda and Kathua but no PG seats have been allotted to these colleges."

The Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association has supported the protests and appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to consider the demand of delaying the pooling of post-graduate seats in the All India Quota until the new medical colleges get PG seats. The National Conference, Congress and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party have also supported the doctors and urged the administration to reconsider the proposed move in the larger interest of the people of the UT, as reported by PTI.