MCI okays 700 additional seats

BANGALORE: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has granted permission for 700 additional medical seats in Karnataka with colleges at at Hassan, Mandya, Raichur, Shimoga and Bidar being granted 100 additional seats each.The increase in intake proposed for the government colleges in Bidar and Belgaum have also been cleared.The 700 seats will be offered to students during the second round of CET counselling.A special round of counselling is likely.The priority of Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas is to get the deemed universities in the State to give 25 per cent of their seats to the government quota.Commenting on the RGUHS counselling, he said, “The Supreme Court has directed the RGUHS to conduct counselling only for those who did not select seat in the first round of counselling.So we excluded those who had selected seats in the first round,” said Ramdas.He informed that in the extended round, 129 medical and four dental PG seats were filled. On the alleged irregularities in the PGET at Bellary centre that took place in the month of April, Ramdas said that if students found guilty, the government would cancel their PG seats allotted through RGUHS counselling.