NEET reservation row: Will ensure all constitutional provisions are respected, says BOPEE chief Bhardwaj

SRINAGAR: Responding to student distress, the Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) today said they will ensure that all constitutional provisions are respected viz a viz NEET reservation.

Students staged a protest demanding 10 percent reservation in allotment of MBBS seats by BOPEE under Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category,

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is an all-India pre-medical entrance test for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), and AYUSH (BAMS, BUMS, BHAMS, etc.) courses in government and private institutions in India.

The test was conducted in September 2021. However, the result was delayed due to the COVID pandemic and was announced in November last year.

“Under rules, we should be allotted 10 percent reservation. However, we have been given only a 5 percent reservation and the rest of the quota is given to others. We want to know under which rules, the authorities have curtailed our quota,” said a protesting student in Srinagar.

She said students selected for BDS under EWS quota have been given 10 percent reservation.“Only MBBS students have been discriminated against. We have been given 5 percent reservation under EWS quota,” she said

A student said after the 2019 amendment, the government assured to allot more seats. “10 percent EWS quota is implemented across the country, but only J&K has been singled out,” she said.

Additional Chief Secretary of health department Vivek Bhardwaj told The Kashmir Monitor that they will ensure all provisions are respected. “BOPEE will ensure all constitutional provisions are respected,” he said.

Last month, Bhardwaj was given an additional charge of BOPEE.