More troubles may be brewing for Union health minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on the AIIMS front as the minister has suddenly decided to postpone the convocation date by one month that will further increase the students’ waiting time in receiving the degree.

Though less than a month ago the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) administration as well as the health ministry asserted that the convocation would be held on September 25, the date has now been changed to October 23 apparently because of the minister’s non-availability.

An aide to the minister said that the earlier date was announced by the AIIMS administration without consulting Dr Ramadoss.

Since one month’s notice is required before convocation, the ceremony would be held on October 23.

It, however, appears a case of ministerial flip-flop because during the “degree-signing” controversy, Dr Ramadoss never mentioned his non-availability for the convocation. On the contrary he and the health secretary Naresh Dayal asserted that the convocation will be held on September 25 when the students will be awarded their degrees.

Almost 640 students belonging to four batches of 2005 and 2006 are expected to get their degrees. As many as 60 six students, who required their degrees urgently for admission in foreign universities, have received the degrees at the instruction of the Delhi High Court.

“Some of the students may not accept the degree from the hands of Dr Ramadoss who is playing with the future of the students. We will decide on the protest action before the convocation,” Dr Kumar Harsh, a resident doctor and a member of the AIIMS resident doctor’s association told Deccan Herald.

AIIMS doctors seek quota review
New Delhi, DHNS: The AIIMS Resident Doctors Association told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the manner of identification of the castes for the 27 per cent reservation was faulty and should be discarded by the government. Senior Advocate Sushil Kumar Jain appearing for the association before the five-Judge Constitutional bench said, “'The government has taken the common castes which are so identified as backward by the Second Backward Commission (Mandal Commission) and the list prepared by the states does not project the actual picture on the grounds.”

The manner of identification by the Centre was faulty and therefore the report should not be relied upon, said Mr Jain while asking the Court to direct the government to quash the Act.