Govt to make efforts to get 50 p c seats: CM

Puducherry, Apr 3 (UNI) The Puducherry administration will make concerted efforts to fill up 50 per cent of the seats in the private medical colleges for the government, Chief Minister N Rangasamy told the legislative assembly today.

Replying to a question, Health Minister E Valsaraj said since the government had already issued an order for the provision of 50 per cent seats to it in all private and medical colleges, no initiatives had been taken to introduce a bill in this regard.

The administration on February 27 had a meeting with the management of all private medical colleges regarding the allocation of 50 per cent seats for the government in which no decision was taken, he said adding another meeting would be held shortly in this regard.

The government was considering an application before it to start a private medical college here, he said, adding none of the existing medical colleges had sought convertion into Deemed universities.

The government had filled 100 per cent seats in 2005-06 and could not get much seat last year. This year, talks were on and the government would get 50 per cent seats, Mr Valsaraj said.

Members S P Sivakumar, A Anbazhagan and K Lakshminarayanan, who posed the question charged the government with supporting the private medical colleges. Already, one medical college refused to allot seats to local students and obtained Deemed university status.

The same management has now applied to set up another medical college, they said and wondered how the governemnt could state that it was considering the application.

They said the minister should have contacted the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to ascertain whether any college in Puducherry had sought Deemed university status since they need not apply to the territorial administration.

Amid heated exchanges, the Chief Minister intervened and categorically stated that the government would take steps to get 50 per cent seats this year.

UNI