DCI recommends Establishment of 2 Dental Colleges, Increase in BDS Seats at 1: MoHFW notice
New Delhi: Through a recent notification, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has informed about the recommendation given by the Dental Council of India (DCI) regarding the establishment of 2 new dental colleges and the increase in the number of available BDS seats in 1 of the existing dental colleges.
There is a dearth of dental colleges and hospitals in the country. A disparity also exists between the rural and urban areas with respect to the availability of oral health care, as dentists tend to base their practice in well-established cities where the general public is more inclined toward maintaining good oral health and hygiene. There is a need for more dentists in the country so as to improve the overall oral healthcare and provide the best possible treatment at minimum costs to the masses.
With this background, it is intended to establish the Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Dental College in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu and the Mamata Institute of Dental Sciences in Hyderabad along with the increase in the number of BDS seats from 60 to 100 at the Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital in Jaipur.
With reference to the above, the following schemes were submitted by the Dental Council of India (DCI) to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for consideration and approval:
| S.No | Name of Applicant College | Scheme | Seats | Performance Back Guarantee in Lakhs |
| 1. | Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Dental College | Establishment | 100 | 200 |
| 2. | Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital | Increase | 60 to 100 | 100 |
| 3. | Mamata Institute of Dental Sciences | Establishment | 100 | 200 |
The Letters of Intent (Lol) will be issued to the applicant Dental Colleges after receiving Ministry approval calling for the following documents/undertakings/PBGs:
- (i)The teaching and non-teaching staff shall be recruited as per DCI norms.
- The applicant has a feasible and time bound program to provide additional equipment and infrastructure facilities as per DCI norms.
- For Private Colleges. a performance bank guarantee (PBG) of the required amount in favour of the DCI is to be submitted.
- Admission in BDS Course with original/increased intake shall be made only after receipt of formal permission from the Central Government.
The MoHFW has advised the above applicant Dental Colleges to be ready to furnish the above documents at a short notice so that the Letters of Permission (LoPs) can be issued by 20th August 2021.
