GMC B’la students seek restoration of SRO 49

Srinagar, Dec 13: MBBS students of Government Medical College Baramulla on Friday held a strong protest and demanded restoration of SRO 49 for the open merit doctors.
Dozens of MBBS students, dressed in aprons, gathered on the college premises to protest against the uneven distribution of reservations. They voiced serious concerns over the reduction in OM seats for postgraduate admissions under the NEET PG framework.
The students claim that recent policy changes, including the implementation of SO 176 (March 15, 2024) and SO 305 (May 21, 2024), have severely impacted merit-based admissions, leading to widespread discontent among aspiring doctors.
According to the students, the open merit quota, which previously accounted for 75% of PG seats under SRO 49 of 2018, has been reduced to approximately 27% after the application of new reservation rules and Rule 17 of the J&K Reservation Rules (2004-2005).
They said that out of 293 total PG seats available in government medical colleges, only 78 seats were effectively available for pure Open Merit candidates this year.
One of the MBBS doctor said the doctors who work hard day and night do not get the seats. “There is a huge disparity and we demand restoration of SRO 49 and eradicate Rule 17 and implement bond policy in the all India quota,” he said.
The MBBS students stated that over the years, the reservation quota, which was initially meant to be minimal, has increased to 70%, leaving limited opportunities for open merit candidates.
The protesting students also criticized Rule 17, describing it as “draconian and unique to J&K.” Under this rule, reserved category candidates securing a seat in OM can upgrade to higher specialties, but the vacated OM seat is reallocated to the reserved category instead of being returned to the OM pool.
“This leads to a double advantage for reserved category candidates and further reduces the number of seats for OM candidates. No other state in India has such a policy,” they said.
The students emphasized the importance of merit in specialty courses like MD/MS, arguing that these fields require high levels of competence to ensure quality healthcare.
They highlighted that all MBBS students study under similar conditions, access the same resources, and are assessed equally, making merit-based selection a fair criterion.
A female MBBS student said that they fail to understand why the reservation system is so hard in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are not against the reservation policy but we want amendments into it on the basis of justice,” she said.
She stated that many EWS candidates do not meet the eligibility criteria but still take undue advantage of the reservation, emphasizing the need for an investigation into the matter.
The students seek introduction of a bond system for PG and DM courses in Jammu and Kashmir, similar to practices in other states, to encourage doctors to serve in underserved areas. They believe these measures would promote meritocracy, ensure fair access to medical education, and ultimately strengthen the healthcare system.