Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUMS) has made a major change in the rules for admission to MBBS and BDS courses under the NRI quota in Punjab. BFUMS has been allowed to consider admission under the quota of the closest relatives of NRIs for admission in MBBS and BDS courses. This decision has been taken after an order issued by the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER). In all the medical and dental colleges of Punjab, admission is done on about 185 NRI seats in MBBS and 196 seats in BDS under the NRI quota. However, every year many seats of this quota remain vacant due to lack of eligible candidates.
During the ongoing counselling for admission to post graduate dental courses, all the 12 MDS seats under NRI quota remained vacant even after two rounds of counselling.
The fee for an MBBS seat in government and private medical colleges is around Rs 92 lakh and for a BDS seat is around
36 lakh. 15 per cent of the total seats in private and government medical colleges in Punjab are reserved for NRI quota candidates.
DMER Secretary Priyank Bharti issued an order regarding partial change in the rules and regulations of NRI quota seats. As per the revised provisions, DMER has prescribed an order for admission under NRI quota seats.
The order said, “Genuine NRIs or their children who originally belong to the State of Punjab and genuine NRIs or their children who originally belong to any Indian State or Union Territory other than Punjab are eligible for NRI quota seats. In case NRI seats remain vacant after considering the above preferences, wards or next of kin of NRIs shall be considered for admission under NRI quota.”
The preference for relationship with NRI would be as follows –
-1) Father's real brothers and sisters i.e. uncles and aunts.
2) Mother's real brother and sister i.e. maternal uncle and maternal aunt.
3)- Father's father and mother i.e. grandfather and grandmother.
4) Mother's father and mother i.e. maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother.
(5) First degree cousins on the father's or mother's side.
The order also said- “Any seat remaining vacant under the NRI category after the second round of counselling should be given to a NEET qualified eligible foreign national. However, if seats remain vacant, they will be converted into general category seats. The fee of an NRI candidate will be accepted only from an NRI or NRE bank account.”
Under the existing provisions, NRIs or children of NRIs who originally belong to Punjab and Indian states other than Punjab are allowed to take admission in MBBS and BDS courses under the NRI quota. As per the rules, the person sponsoring the student should be a first-degree relative of the student and should ordinarily be residing abroad as an NRI. The university has also released a checklist for candidates seeking admission to undergraduate courses under the NRI quota.
