MBBS seats go up by 380 this year

Bangalore, July 5: Good news for MBBS seat aspirants in the State. The number of seats available for aspiring candidates has gone up by 380, from 5,555 to 5,935 for the year 2012-2013.

While government colleges and institutions under the KRLMPCA (Karnataka Religious & Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges Association) will have 100 more seats each, the number of seats under the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) has gone up by 180.

With this, the total number of MBBS seats in all colleges combined has now increased from 5,555 to 5,935. However, there is no increase in the number of undergraduate dental seats.

Briefing reporters here on Wednesday, medical education minister S A Ramdas said that the decision to increase the seats was taken after a final meeting with the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Dental Council of India (MCI) recently.

As many as 2,222 MBBS seats will now be available for selection through the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), 914 seats through COMEDK and 1,084 through the KRLMPCA. A total of 1,428 seats will be offered by the deemed universities.

Of the additional seats, the Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, has been allotted 50 more seats, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, is granted another 30 seats and the Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, has been sanctioned an additonal 50 seats.

Among the two new medical colleges, ESI Medical College, Bangalore, has been allotted 100 seats and Tadikele Subbaiah Trust, Shimoga, 150 seats. Both these colleges have reserved 50 per cent of their quota for government seats. Ramdas said that by next year, Mysore, Hubli and Bellary medical colleges will have 100 medical seats.

There is also a proposal to have 50 additional seats for clinic subjects among the post-graduate seats. Ramdas said that an agreement will be signed between CET and Comed-K to increase the professional college fees by 10 per cent for the year 2012-2013. After COMEDK and KRLMPCA counselling, CET counselling for real allotment will begin from July 23 with no overlapping dates. Admission for the first round of counseling should be finalised by July 31 with no blockage of seats, he added.

The second round of counselling for Comed-K and KRLMPCA, the minister said, will be completed by August 6 and the CET second round counseling will begin from August 7. Admissions for all medical seats should be completed by August 30 and classes must commence on September 1, he added. He said this year the government is taking extra care in handling cases of fake mark sheets as there will be government representatives including a police officer and legal advisors at the counseling centre to scrutinise all mark sheets and documents. A one-member committee comprising Dr Venkateshiah from Kuvempu University will be look into the admission process in Comed-K and KRLMPCA.