Maharashtra will be disallowing students from most of the other states for MBBS course from this educational year. Until last year a 15 per cent reservation used to be allowed for students seeking admission for MBBS from other states. This norm stands amended and only 50 students from states like Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Union Territories like Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshwadeep, will be admitted for MBBS course. The intake of students from states outside Maharashtra will thus be cut to 50 from 380, till last year.

Confirming this, Joint Director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research [DMER], Maharashtra, Dr. W.B. Tayade, said, "Starting this year, the state has abolished the 15 per cent quota for students from other states. However, we are sympathetic for the students from backward states and Union Territories and have reserved 50 seats for students from these regions." All the necessary approvals have been granted by the Medical Council of India [MCI] and the centre for making the necessary changes in the admission procedure, said the official.

So far DMER has received about 880 applications from the reserved backward states and UTs alone, out of which 50 students will be selected on the basis of merit, he said.

There are 33 medical colleges in the state, out of which 17 are government run and the rest are private run.

As per the basic admission criteria till last year, out of the total 3,595 seats, 15 per cent was reserved for management quota. Of the balance 85 per cent seats, 15 per cent was reserved for students from states other than Maharashtra.

Management quota still exists. This should mean that barring 50 students from the backward states and UTs, meritorious students within Maharashtra will fill the remaining seats.

The admission of students on paid basis is non-existent as of today after the intervention of the Supreme Court against admission procedures on payment basis, two years back.