Wed Jan 14 08:35:23 UTC 2026: ### Headline: Health Ministry Denies Commercialization Amidst NEET PG Counselling Changes

The Story:

The Health Ministry is actively refuting accusations of commercialization within the NEET PG counselling process. This denial comes amidst significant changes to the NEET PG 2025 counselling, including lowered cutoffs and multiple rounds of counselling aimed at filling vacant postgraduate medical seats. The ministry insists that transparency, merit-based selection, and candidate choice remain the cornerstones of the allocation system.

Key Points:

  • Health Ministry sources reject claims of commercialization.
  • The ministry emphasizes transparency in the process.
  • Inter-se merit remains a central criterion for selection.
  • Choice-based allocation is maintained.

Critical Analysis:

The repeated lowering of NEET PG cutoffs, particularly the slash to 0 percentile for reserved categories, strongly suggests a desperate attempt to fill vacant seats. This raises questions about the quality of candidates being admitted and the overall standards of postgraduate medical education. The Health Ministry’s adamant denial of commercialization could be interpreted as a defensive maneuver to protect its reputation and the integrity of the NEET PG process, given the optics of drastically lowering standards. The juxtaposition of lowering the cutoffs to fill seats and maintaining that merit is central to the process is where the heart of the matter exists.

Key Takeaways:

  • The lowering of NEET PG cutoffs, especially to 0 percentile for reserved categories, indicates a potential crisis in filling postgraduate medical seats.
  • The Health Ministry’s denial of commercialization suggests an awareness of the potential criticism surrounding the changes in NEET PG counselling.
  • The emphasis on transparency and merit-based selection appears to be a counter-narrative to the reality of lowered admission standards.
  • The repeated revisions to the counselling schedule and cutoff scores highlight ongoing challenges in the NEET PG admissions process.

Impact Analysis:

The long-term consequences of lowering NEET PG cutoffs could be significant. Dilution of the talent pool entering postgraduate medical education may impact the quality of healthcare services in the future. This situation could necessitate a reevaluation of the NEET PG exam structure, seat allocation policies, and the overall incentives for pursuing postgraduate medical studies. Furthermore, the erosion of public trust in the fairness and integrity of the NEET PG process could lead to further scrutiny and calls for reform.

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