NEET exam, once been introduced across the country has now got the direction from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in particular for various officials of different states for providing common counselling for granting admission for seats in dental and medical courses both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
As per the ministry, the students would not have to go through different agencies for admission in the one state which would make the process of admission more transparent and would deter the private colleges from charging unwanted capitation fees.
Ever since NEET UG 2016 was held by the CBSE, the ministry has held meetings with different stakeholders of all the states on conducting the common counselling for admission in MBBS courses for the academic session of 2016-17 and had issued an advisory on August 2016.
As per the orders of the Ministry, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has informed the deemed universities to be part of the counselling process run by either state or central governments through different entities depending on the marks obtained in the entrance exam.
For granting admission for PG courses in academic session of 2017-18, the advisory was released in December 2016. As the counselling process was not under the scope of any regulations and had turned to a mechanism of administration, the advisories had to be issued according to official notification.
However, the common counselling would have legal provisions as per Postgraduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000 and as per the amendment notifications in Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 1997.
The Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would continue to conduct the counselling for All India Quota seats at undergraduate and postgraduate level as quoted by the ministry.
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