Now, Bangalore med college talks of seat auction
June 5, 2009: The Times of India
Bangalore: A couple of days after two prominent medical colleges in Chennai were caught on camera seeking donation, an expose by Times Now has revealed that in Bangalore, seats in premium private medical colleges are not just sold for lakhs but are auctioned too.
What transpired between a Times Now reporter and the president of the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) is clearly a sign that merit is no more the criterion for getting an MBBS seat.
Like every state, admissions to medical colleges in Karnataka, too, are not free from corruption. With the rate ranging between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore for MBBS and MD seats, colleges go for the kill. NRI students are usually the targets.
The Times of India had a few years ago exposed the blocking seats racket where an intelligent student is identified, made to write the entrance test, go for seat selection process, select a medical seat and then surrender it. At the end of it, the student gets a hefty amount for writing the test, and the college converts the surrendered seats to the management quota.
Highest bidder gets the seat, says president of premier medical college in Bangalore
Times Now reporter: My cousin wants an MBBS seat. The family will be coming to India. They have asked for details.
Kenchappa Gowda: Give me their number, I will talk to them.
Reporter: They will be coming here; they are in Muscat. Give us a break-up. After that article, they are worried about capitation fee.
Gowda: That is about government seats; this is an NRI seat. We can take how much so ever we want. It’s actually a very open procedure. It’s an auction. Whoever gives maximum, seat goes to them. And it will go up to Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh, and the highest bidder gets the seat. Bring them. We will do an auction. It’s next month… we will advertise admissions soon.
