Mumbai: After several delays, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on Tuesday released the seat matrix for the third round of counselling for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) postgraduate (PG) 2024.
The announcement follows a Free Press Journal report on Monday, which stated that a Mumbai-based activist had written to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda and the MCC to “urgently release” the seat matrix and resume the admission process.
According to the seat matrix, a total of 24,314 seats are up for grabs, including 15,902 virtually vacant, 99 newly added and 8,313 clearly vacant seats for students willing to get admission in PG medical All India Quota (AIQ) seats.
In another announcement, MCC has reopened the resignation portal for Round-1 & Round-2 seats with forfeiture of security deposit up to 6 p.m. of January 14. Candidates participating in the third round of counselling process have to enter their preferences on or before January 16.
Brijesh Sutraia, the activist who had written to the Union Minister and MCC, however, called the list “tentative” and asked the aspirants to wait till the resignation process for rounds 1 and 2 are completed to get a clear picture.
“The seat matrix for AIQ Round 3 declared on Tuesday is tentative. The final seat matrix will be released tomorrow, as the deadline to vacate seats from R1 and R2 has been opened till 6 p.m. on January 14. Candidates should wait for the updated list to get a clearer picture,” he told FPJ.
On Monday, Sutaria, in his letter which was also addressed to the Medical Education Assistant Director General, Sutaria said, “The prolonged waiting period is causing significant anxiety among aspirants, who are eagerly awaiting clarity on their admission process.”
He had urged the MCC to “prioritise the release of the seat matrix at the earliest to provide much-needed relief and clarity to thousands of candidates.” Noting that the 2024 counselling process has already been marred by several delays, the activist had stressed that timely updates are crucial for a smooth admission cycle.
Talking to the FPJ on Monday, Sutaria had blamed the “lack of planning and execution by MCC and MoHFW” for the delays in the counselling process in NEET PG 2024.
