The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has reportedly announced that it will end caste-based reservations in private medical and dental colleges of the state, reported India Today. An order has reportedly been passed to get rid of quotas for SC, ST and OBC categories.
The decision was reportedly taken by outgoing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, but is being implemented by the new BJP government.
Authorities at the state medical education department, however, have denied these reports.
Speaking to Times of India, Director General Medical Education Dr VN Tripathi said:
“It is wrong to say that rules of reservation have been scrapped from the private medical and dental colleges. Reservation was never a part of the admission process in private sector medical and dental colleges as per the prevalent policy made in 2006. There has been no change in any policy whatsoever.”
He added that private medical and dental colleges have been brought under the ambit of National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for the first time.
The New Indian Express report said that the NEET-based admission policy for PG courses was announced by the Akhilesh Yadav government on 10 March 2017, a day before the UP poll results.
The order clearly stated that there would be no reservation for SC, ST and OBC students in the private medical and dental colleges.
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