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New Delhi, Feb 26: The Government has decided to introduce reservation for SC/ST candidates for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses from this year under the All India entrance examination.
The Union Health Ministry has issued direction to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to implement 15 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes in the exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), a senior Health Ministry official told reporters.
With the introduction of the quota, around 310 SC and 155 ST students will benefit this year. In 2007, the total number of MBBS/BDS seats were 2,075, which were filled up on the basis of merit exclusively.
The decision was taken after the Supreme Court, hearing an application in this regard filed by the Health Ministry, left it to the Centre to take a policy decision on the matter.
Seats in government medical and dental colleges across the country that are under the All India quota are filled up on the basis of the All India Entrance Examination. Earlier, the seats would be filled up only on the basis of merit and without any reservation.
The State Governments, however, were adopting reservation for SC/ST candidates as per the state policy under their own quota.