Aspirants and colleges are up in arms against the state government decision to implement 10 percent EWS reservation in private medical colleges (Express Archive)As medical aspirants from the state and their parents met Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and principal secretary of the department Dheeraj Kumar on Tuesday and raised their concerns on the implementation of 10 percent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota in private medical colleges, the government assured them that it will examine the issue from all angles.Aspirants and colleges are up in arms against the state government decision to implement 10 percent EWS reservation in private medical colleges. Both claim that it is unfair without allowing proportionate additional intake to accommodate the EWS seats, a one-time measure followed in the year 2019 when EWS was implemented in all government medical colleges.Furthermore, students have complained that if the EWS quota is applied without a boost in total intake, the number of seats under general-merit will reduce drastically, causing cut-off scores to soar leading to heightened competition to bag a seat.However, after a meeting with the state government on Tuesday, aspirants and parents are hopeful of a positive outcome. Parent representative Sudha Shenoy said, “The minister gave us a patient hearing and assured us that the matter would be looked into for corrective measures. He connected us with the Principal Secretary of the Medical Education Department, who told us that the quota was implemented as part of affirmative action. However, we explained that EWS students are already receiving fee reimbursement under the state government’s scheme. Additionally, we presented various court rulings in similar cases from different high courts. Following this, we were assured that all legal aspects would be considered before revoking the clause from the information brochure.”Shenoy further added that parents are willing to move court in case the government insists on EWS quota implementation without additional intake.When contacted, principal secretary of medical education department Dheeraj Kumar said, “We have received the representation from various associations, and we are examining from all angles.”Minister warns pharmacy colleges in stateMinister for Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil has warned institutions running B Pharm and D Pharm courses in Maharashtra to meet all required norms within a month, or they will not be allowed to conduct admission from academic year 2025-26. Amid increasing concerns over mushrooming pharmacy colleges in the state leading to vacancy concerns, the higher and technical education department had ordered a re-inspection of those which were granted permissions during past few years. In a high-level meeting held on Tuesday, officials reviewed compliance from 2022 to 2025. And it was found that several colleges still lack basic academic and infrastructural facilities, as per the requirements mentioned in the Pharmacy Council of India’s inspection format.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Economically Weaker SectionMaharashtra Medical Council