Ready to reduce qualifying percentile to 30 in NEET-SS: Centre tells SC

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it has agreed to reduce the qualifying percentile for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super Speciality seats from the existing 50 per cent to 30.

In a note filed before the top court, the Centre submitted that 1,857 super speciality seats are currently lying vacant after the completion of the second round of NEET-SS counselling and a substantial number of these seats pertain to highly specialised medical and surgical disciplines.

"The matter has since been reconsidered in consultation with the concerned stakeholders.

In order to ensure that the available Super Speciality seats do not remain vacant and that the available training capacity is optimally utilised, it has been decided that the qualifying percentile for NEET-SS may be reduced from the existing 50th percentile to 30th percentile for the purpose of the proposed Special Stray Vacancy Round," the Centre told the top court.

The central government, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, told the apex court that reduction of the qualifying percentile would make approximately 6,000 additional candidates eligible for participation.

"This would provide a candidate pool of approximately three times the number of presently vacant seats, i.e.approximately 6,000 eligible candidates against 1,857 vacant seats.

"It was further decided that, in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court in relation to the State of Tamil Nadu and in the peculiar circumstances, the 40 vacant in service seats pertaining to Tamil Nadu would be reverted to the State Government for the limited purpose of enabling the State to conduct and complete its own Stray Vacancy Round for a period of one week," it said.

The government also told the court that any such seats remaining unfilled after completion of the State's Stray Vacancy Round would thereafter be added to the pool of vacant seats available with Medical Counselling Committee, and the Special Stray Vacancy Round in respect of these seats, along with the other vacant super speciality seats, would be conducted and completed by MCC in two weeks.

The top court had earlier asked the Centre to reconsider its decision to not reduce the cut-off percentile for NEET-Super Speciality seats while expressing concern about a large number of seats going unfilled annually.

The submission was made in a plea challenging the "premature diversion" of 152 vacant super speciality seats earmarked for in-service government doctors in Tamil Nadu to the all-India quota.