After engineering seat-blocking, cops suspect similar scam for nursing courses in Karnataka

The police investigating the engineering seat-blocking case have suspected a similar scam even in the seat selection for BSc nursing courses.

According to the information available from the sources at Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), a few days after the arrest of some suspected people in the engineering seat blocking case, the police have sought information on Nursing seats too from the KEA.

“During the interrogation, the investigating officers might have got some information about the Nursing courses. Being an agency conducting examination and alloting seats, we have provided whatever information was available with us,” said H Prasanna, Executive Director of KEA.

As explained by the KEA authorities, even in nursing and allied health courses there are some most sought-after streams which are in high demand in the job market, for eg: Physiotherapy. The data available with the KEA revealed that of the total 30,000-plus seats available, around 16,000-plus seats, allotted under government quota, were left unfilled.

“Even in nursing and allied health sciences, there is a provision like engineering to fill unfilled seats under management quota for higher fees. This led to malpractice,” said an official source from the KEA.

In nursing courses, the lobby of touts works to bring students from outside Karnataka, mainly from Kerala and North Eastern states. “Earlier, Nursing admissions were not under the purview of KEA, but the lobby of agents to bring students from other states has continued,” the source mentioned.

Complaint to Governor

Meanwhile, a former syndicate member of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has filed a complaint with the Governor requesting his intervention in the administrative decisions taken by the vice-chancellor regarding the colleges offering nursing and allied health courses.

In the complaint, Dr K N Venugopal, former syndicate member, accused the vice-chancellor of increasing intake for nursing and allied health courses without the presence of elected representatives in the senate and syndicate.

“While proposed increase in intake was initially presented as applicable only to medical college affiliated institutions, there appears to be a concerning pattern. The board of studies for physiotherapy and allied health sciences was constituted very recently and a meeting to approve increased intake was conducted hastily,” he stated.