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Zero Percentile NEET PG: Doctors Warn of Education Crisis
15 Jan
Summary
- NEET PG cut-off reduced to zero percentile and minus 40 to fill 18,000 vacant seats.
- Doctors' bodies criticize the move, citing concerns over diluted merit and medical education standards.
- The reduction primarily benefits private colleges, with high fees potentially leading to significant revenue.
India's National Medical Commission (NMC) has significantly reduced the NEET PG qualifying cut-off to zero percentile, and minus 40 for certain categories, in an unprecedented move to fill an estimated 18,000 vacant postgraduate medical seats for the 2025-26 academic year. This decision, directed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to ensure optimal utilization of medical resources and prevent seats from going unfilled after two rounds of counselling saw substantial vacancies.
The drastic cut-off reduction has sparked widespread criticism from medical bodies. Doctors' associations argue that this measure severely dilutes academic merit, potentially compromising the quality of Indian medical education and disproportionately benefiting private medical colleges that charge exorbitant fees. Concerns are also raised about the international credibility of Indian medical degrees.
Revised cut-offs include a 7th percentile for unreserved candidates (score 103) and 0th percentile for SC/ST/OBC candidates (score -40). While proponents cite the need to expand the pool of eligible candidates due to the high number of graduates and limited seats, critics advocate for increasing PG seats rather than lowering standards.
