On account of the delay in the second round of counselling for medical seats under the all-India quota, the State Medical Education Department has written to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare seeking an extension for the last date to complete the admission process.
Admissions for all seats in medical colleges in Karnataka are conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) and students are allotted seats based on their National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) rankings.
As per the schedule, all rounds of medical counselling (including the mop-up round) for admission to courses in the 2018-19 academic year should be completed by August 18. However, counselling for medical seats conducted by the KEA has been delayed as the unfilled all-India quota seats will have to be transferred to the State. Only after this is done can counselling for the second round be conducted.
A senior official in the department said the State government has sought an extension till August 31 to complete the counselling process. “We have not received any response yet. If we do not get any response, we will stick to our schedule. We plan to complete it before August 25,” the official added.
Fifteen percent of medical and dental seats in the State fall under the all-India quota, for which counselling is conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). They will be allotted based on an aspirant’s NEET rank. Seats that are remaining will be sent to their respective states.