40 medical colleges derecognised across India for flouting NMC norms, 100 more may face action

News Network

May 31, 2023

Around 40 medical colleges across the country have lost recognition over the past two months allegedly for not following standards set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), official sources said on Tuesday, May 31.

About 100 more medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and West Bengal may also face similar action, they said.

The colleges were not found to be complying with the set norms and several lapses related to CCTV cameras, Aadhaar-linked biometric attendance procedures and faculty rolls were found during inspections carried out by the Commission, an official source said.

According to government data, the number of medical colleges has increased significantly since 2014.

There is an increase of 69 per cent in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 654 as of now, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar had told the Rajya Sabha in February.

Further, there is an increase of 94 per cent in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 99,763 as of now and an increase of 107 per cent in PG seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 64,559 as of now.

To increase the number of doctors in the country, the government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats, she had said.

The measures and steps taken by the government to increase the number of medical seats in the country include a centrally-sponsored scheme for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/referral hospitals, under which 94 new medical colleges are already functional out of 157 approved.

Reacting to his derecognition of medical colleges, experts from the medical field said the NMC is largely relying on the Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance system for which it considers only the faculty which are on duty during daytime from 8 am to 2 pm.

"But the working hours of doctors are not fixed. They have to work in emergency and at night shifts also. So the NMC's rigidity with the working hours has created this issue. Such micro management of medical colleges is not practical and the NMC needs to be flexible to such issues," an expert said.

Another expert said, "The NMC is derecognising medical colleges believing there are deficiencies. At the same time, the NMC has also allowed the registration of students in such colleges, which is a contradiction. Moreover, such experiment is tarnishing India's image at the global level because India is the largest supplier of doctors and with such instances coming to light, the world will lose confidence in Indian doctors."

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Campus politics: DKS pushes to restore student elections in Karnataka banned since 1989

News Network

November 26,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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