Harish Rao criticises Telangana government's new MBBS admission rules

HYDERABAD: Former Minister and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao criticised the Telangana Congress government's issuance of Government Order (GO) Number 33 regarding MBBS course admissions. The new GO stated that students would be considered local if they had studied for four years in the state before their intermediate education. The previous rule required students to have studied for at least four out of the last seven years.

Harish Rao questioned the new rule, asking if Telangana students who studied for two years of intermediate education in another state or took long-term coaching would be considered non-local. He pointed out that many Telangana students pursued MBBS in other states and countries, and under the new rule, they would be considered non-local for postgraduate seats.

He urged the government to frame rules similar to Tamil Nadu, where students must study locally from grades six to ten and have parents with permanent residency to secure an MBBS seat. Karnataka and Kerala had their own regulations, and Telangana needed its own rules as well.

Harish Rao suggested forming a committee with the Chief Secretary and other senior officials to create a policy that would guide all educational institutions. He noted that the state continued the old method for ten years as Hyderabad was a joint capital, as per the Parliament Act. Despite the ten-year period ending, the state government continued the old method, retaining only the first paragraph of the President's old order and omitting the rest.

He highlighted that during their tenure, they introduced a rule ensuring 95% of jobs for locals. Now, despite the possibility of giving 95% of admissions to locals, the government was not focusing on this issue. He called for immediate amendments to GO 33 and suggested convening an all-party meeting to provide recommendations.

Harish Rao stated that the Congress administration was like a candle in the wind and questioned the actions of the medical education department officials. He urged the government to form a committee and amend the GO.