In a significant relief to medical aspirants, the Gujarat government has announced a partial rollback in fees for MBBS courses in 13 colleges under the state-run Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) following a recent fee hike, reported PTI. The decision, made public on Tuesday, comes in response to widespread protests by students and political parties.
During a cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel decided to lower the fees, aiming to benefit 2,100 MBBS students across the GMERS colleges. “In the interest of the students, the government has decided to reduce the fee for 2,100 MBBS seats in 13 GMERS colleges,” stated Health Minister Patel at a press conference in Gandhinagar.
For government quota seats, the fee has been reduced from the newly hiked Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 3.75 lakh, reflecting a reduction of approximately 80%. For management quota seats, the fee has been brought down from Rs 17 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, marking a 62.5% decrease. The revised fee structure will take effect from the academic year 2024-25.
This rollback follows the government’s previous notification issued last month, which had substantially increased the fees for the upcoming academic year. The initial hike saw government quota fees rise from Rs 3.3 lakh to Rs 5.5 lakh annually, while management quota fees surged from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 17 lakh.
The fee hike prompted strong reactions, with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staging protests and the Gujarat Congress threatening to initiate a larger agitation if the decision was not reversed.
The state government’s latest move is seen as a response to these pressures, aiming to ease the financial burden on students and their families while maintaining access to quality medical education in Gujarat.
With agency inputs.