MBBS/BDS admissions on basis of NEET UG-2025; Govt, JKBOPEE need to address quarries

Daya Sagar
J&K Board of Professional Entrance Examinations ( BOPEE ) vide Notification No. 076-BOPEE of 2025 Dated 17-07-2025 had called for online Registration of NEET UG – 2025 candidates belonging to UT of J&K/ Ladakh and asked to register themselves and upload the following documents online w. e. f. 18-07-2025 (10:00 am onwards) to 22-07-2025 (midnight) so that Provisional UT Merit List (PUTML) of such eligible candidates belonging to UT of J&K/ Ladakh could be prepared.

Accordingly BOPEE vide Notification No. 085-BOPEE of 2025 Dated 01-08-2025 notified the merit list and invited for any objections . And it has been vide Notification No. 086-BOPEE of 2025 Dated 05-08-2025 that JK BOPEE notified for the information of all the eligible candidates that the online choice filling for NEET UG (MBBS/BDS) Courses-2025 shall commence from 06-08-2025 (11:00 a.m. onwards) to 10-08-2025 (Midnight). The candidates aspiring for admission in MBBS/BDS started looking for all possibilities keeping in view their NEET score, the relative UT merit rank, the category to one belonged the colleges available in government sector & in the private sector and financial requirements/ one’s capacity / possible sources for arranging fee/ loan etc in case one has to apply for the seats in the private medical college. It is not out of place to mention here that inview of over 50% over all reservations& 50% seats reserved for woman in J&K and OM seats in GMCs being just 40% and comparatively very high minimum NEET score as cut off for OM candidates Open Merit (including JKPM/CDP/ Sports/EWS): 144 b. Open Merit/ EWS &PwD: 127 c.SC/ST1/STII/OBC/ALC/IB/RBA: 113 d. SC/ST1/ STII/OBC/RBA/ALC/IB &PwD/ JKPM/Sports/CDP: 113 ) in comparison to some reserved categories ( even some reserved category candidates having very high NEET score worth competing in OM and are not counted in reserved category quota ) many good from amongst the good may have to look for private medical college ( where fee may a constraint for many for OM seats there like the only private Medical College in J&K the ASCOMs where there are 40 – OM government seats ). So the candidates have been found running around making enquires about eligibility and fee etc.
In the notification for choice filling dated 05 Aug 2025 as issued by the BOPEE for admission in 2025 Batch MBBS/ BDS Degree courses the monthly / annual fee is not mentioned. But the tuition fee in the Private Medical Colleges is very much needed to be known by the candidates and parents in view of financial constraints and there no mention of that even in the e- Brochure – 2025 for MBBS/MD for the 40 Om Government MBBS seats/ 10 Poor & Backwards seats (P&B) / 15 Management Seats ( MG)/25 Hindu Minority seats (HM) / 10 NRI seats in the only private Medical college IN UT of J&K ( ASCOMs Sidhra Jammu).Not only that the notification as well as the e- Brochure ( Information Brochure, 2025 for Registration, Procedure for Selection, Counselling and Admission at UNDERGRADUATE (UG) Level COURSES ) do not mention any thing about the eligibility requirements ( other than the NEET criteria ) of a candidate particularly for the OM 25 Hindu Minority seats (HM) and 15 Management (MGT) seats in the Private medical college in Jammu. No doubt for NRI seats also no fee is mentioned by JKBOPEE there atleast the eligibility requirements are mentioned.
It is quite relevant to mention here that (i) In Notification of 17-07-2025 BOPEE No cut off was mentioned for Poor and Backward and it was notified that at para 11 :. Any candidate who falls within the qualifying merit but does not register himself/herself shall not be considered for allotment of any seat and at para 14 it was notified that The candidates who intend to participate against NRI/HM Quota seats in ASCOMS, Jammu shall also have to register online in pursuance of this notification; otherwise, they are not eligible for counselling under NRI/HM quota. However, they shall have to submit all such documents offline separately in the Board office at Jammu/Srinagar up to the date as may be notified by the Board separately.E Brochure to on Page 36 : 16. Says All allocated seats in ASCOMS including under Management Quota and NRI shall be filled up by the BOPEE only.
So it is surely obligatory on the Part of JKBOPEE to also mention the tuition fee for MBBS degree course starting 2025 in private medical college ( although the website of the college mention the tuition fee for 2024 admissions as Rs.495000/ for OM ,MGT, HM seats – may correct me if not) .
E brochure : Information Brochure, 2025 for Registration, Procedure for Selection, Counselling and Admission at UNDERGRADUATE (UG) Level COURSES also mentions that (a) Para 8 Duration of course : (b) 8. Duration of NEET UG Program: ? Duration of UG Medical/Dental Courses Degree shall be 4½ academic years comprising of 09 semesters with each semester of 6 months duration as notified by MCI/DCI/UT.
Another very important point that is for immediate review at the level of government is that for the Category of POOR & Backward for which 10 seats are there in ASCOM College the e – brochure lays the qualifications as (i) Page 45 Annexure : Candidates hailing from poor and Backward families whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 70,000/- for MBBS, (ASCOMS), BAMS/ Physiotherapy and BUMS in private colleges (ii) para 9 Eligibility criteria : have obtained 50% marks in aggregate in 10+2 examination in case of OM category (including EWS/P&B) and 40% in aggregate for reserved categories (SC/ST-i/ST-ii/RBA/OBC/ALC /IB); (ii) page 29 Para 9.2a : The candidates applying under P&B category in ASCOMS are ope merit candidates. They must fulfill eligibility conditions meant for open merit candidates) (iv).Page 26. P&B, EWS, shall be considered only if they have scored minimum of 50th percentile marks/qualifying score or as notified by the NTA under OM category. It surely appears very strange that a student who comes from a family which has from all sources an income of Rs.70000/ yr ie. Rs.5833/ month is expected to have earned high academic score like an open merit candidate without having any assess to tution, good environment and even two square means . How such child would have reached even 100 +2 level and can score even better than a OBC candidate is too much to expect by Government. Rather it will be truthfully get such certified candidate with scroes as laid down at NEET & 10+2 levels . Govt must immediately look at this and preferable amend the income level before the round for counselling proceed ahead.
The issues related to problems of the aspiring candidates were referred to JKBOPEE ( 8th and 9th Aug 2025), to Adm Secretary H&ME J&K ( 10-08-2025) , Director Health Services Jammu ( 10-08-2025 ) and also to Principal Dean ASCOMS vie available e mail on 11 Aug 2025 requesting advice on first prioirity on eligibility criteria in view of the recruitment process having been started before writng the issues here . Some acknowledgement was red immediately from COE JKBOPEE but that was not sufficient ( not even any fee fixation order copy of competent authority for 2025 Admissions or even for any earlier order competent authority on tuition fee and mode of collection / said to be not obligatory on the part BOPEE to furnish. To be continued
(The writer is Sr Journalist and social activist & analyst J&K affairs [email protected] 9419796096)