The educational scene received a significant update when the Union Health Ministry made a pivotal announcement about the NEET PG 2023 qualifying percentile. This move, according to the Ministry, aims to expand the number of qualifying candidates, enhancing the overall efficiency of the PG medical admission system.
Intention Behind the Decision:
While the idea of reducing the qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2023 to zero might raise eyebrows, the Health Ministry clarifies that this will not compromise the merit system pivotal for PG medical course admissions. The top scorers will naturally have the upper hand in securing admission, ensuring the maintenance of the stringent standards set by the medical community.
This mechanism is expected to address the opaque methods previously adopted by certain private colleges and guarantee a transparent admission procedure.
| Details | Statistics |
|---|---|
| Total PG medical seats | 68,142 |
| Seats vacant under All-India Quota last year | 3,000 (20th percentile cut-off) |
| Vacant seats this year | 13,000 out of 68,000 |
Addressing Speculations:
Officials debunked any notions about students with zero percentile turning into specialist doctors. Emphasis was laid on the fact that the cream of the student pool, i.e., those with the highest scores, will be shortlisted for their preferred courses and colleges.
A Step Towards Efficiency:
The push towards this modification has been propelled by the continuous observation of vacant seats year after year. With 7,000 to 10,000 seats going unoccupied annually, especially in non-clinical branches like anatomy and microbiology, this move is likely to boost the seat occupancy rate.
Furthermore, echoing the sentiments of the judiciary, the intention behind this modification is to ensure optimum utilization of available seats. Both the Supreme Court and various high courts have, over time, emphasized the importance of ensuring no seats remain vacant.
Official Notification:
A statement on September 20 from the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Directorate of Health Services, Government of India, confirmed this change. The notice announced the revision of the qualifying percentile for PG Courses (Medical/ Dental) for NEET PG counselling 2023 to ‘zero’ across all categories.
