Rs 300 crore shouldn't go waste: JnK CM seeks minority status for vaishno devi medical college
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has recently demanded that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) be granted minority status and that its operations be resumed, stating that the investment made in the institution should not go to waste.
Recently, a debate session was held in the J&K Assembly, during which the Chief Minister presented his views while responding to the debate on the motion of thanks for the Lieutenant Governor's speech.
According to PTI news report, Abdullah said in the assembly, “We have not discriminated against students based on religion. For me, whether a student is Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhist, they are all equal. As far as this medical college is concerned, from what I have read, approximately 300 crore rupees have been invested in its construction. That investment should not go to waste. I respectfully request you to grant this medical college minority status and allow its operations to resume.”
He also stated that there would be no objection if Muslim students did not study at the medical college and could be accommodated elsewhere, provided it was designated as a special institution for students of their choice. However, the Chief Minister's primary concern is to ensure that future generations continue to have opportunities.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister also noted that if there were any objections regarding the number of students, the institution should have been declared a minority college, especially since the NEET system was accepted with the full understanding that admissions would be based entirely on merit. He added that shutting down the entire college over this issue would be self-defeating.
Medical Dialogues had recently reported that the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) had announced the conduct of a physical round of counselling to accommodate 50 MBBS students of SMVDIME), Kakryal, Katra, in Government Medical Colleges across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
