Hoping to shore up additional funds for upgrading government medical colleges, the state government is mulling over the introduction of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota seats in these state-run institutions.
Medical Education Minister D K Shivakumar said that such a move would help run government medical colleges more efficiently, in addition to extending benefits to employees of the colleges. If implemented, the NRI quota in government colleges will be a major decision, added Shivakumar.
Replying to BJP MLC S V Sankanur in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, Shivakumar also said that his department still intends to hike the tuition fee for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in government medical colleges.
Shivakumar said that the department has proposed to increase the tuition fee for MBBS courses from Rs 17,000 to Rs 50,000 and for postgraduate courses from the present Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh.
The proposal to hike the fee for government quota seats is based on the rising cost of education. Shivakumar has stressed in the past that the government spent Rs 10 lakh to train each medical student, who pay just Rs 17,000.
At present, unaided institutions can keep up to 15% of their seats under NRI quota.
He also said the department sought additional grants for implementing the National Pension Scheme for college employees recruited after 2006.
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