Meghalaya govt brings merit-based SOP for MBBS seats: Health Minister

SHILLONG, OCT 5: Defending the allotment of MBBS seatsamid allegations of irregularities, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Mondaysaid the government has introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) toensure merit-based allocation. “Every time, we are trying to come up, like to makeit more better,” Shylla said.Stating that past allotments had triggeredcomplaints, he said, “In the past, there was no SOP… they were sayingthat the student who got less marks, they are getting in good colleges, studentwho have got good marks, they are not getting in good colleges.” “So that’s why we have come up with this SOP. Eventhis time also we have tried our best that we will come up with SOP where theallotment will be done according to their merit,” he said. Acknowledging concerns raised by students and parentsthis year, the minister said the department called a second counselling toaddress them. “No doubt at the first instance, there were someconcerns from the students and from the parents, so that’s why we try to makeit more efficient and that’s why we called for the second counselling and inthat we have followed the proper SOP,” Shylla said. “We follow the SOP where… according to their merit,they were getting the opportunity on the rotational basis to choose theircolleges,” he added.