Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The technical education department has submitted a proposal to the state government to rationalise the criteria for medical students seeking benefits under Mukhyamantri Medhavi Vidyarthi Yojna (MMVY). Currently, the government allocates nearly 60% of scheme’s funds to medical students, while the remaining 40% is shared among students from streams like engineering, Common Law Admission Test and other programmes.
One of the key issues highlighted in the proposal is the absence of specific eligibility criteria for medical students. At present, any student who qualifies NEET and secures admission to either a private or government medical college is eligible for scheme's benefits, unlike students from other disciplines who must meet predefined percentage or rank criteria. In response, the technical education department has proposed implementing percentage and rank-based criteria for medical students, similar to those for students from other streams.
Veerendra Kumar, director of technical education department, told Free Press that the current system was disproportionate. “Although medical students make up for less than 2% of beneficiaries, they consume 60% of budget. We have submitted proposals to government multiple times but meetings were delayed”, Kumar said.
The MMVY scheme provides tuition fee assistance to students from Madhya Pradesh who have scored 70% or higher in the state board exams or 85% or higher in CBSE/ICSE exams, and whose family income is below Rs 6 lakh annually. The government covers tuition costs for these students on getting admission in undergraduate programmes. They include mess fees and caution deposits.
Criteria to avail scheme:
Engineering students: Students with a JEE Mains rank within 1,50,000 can receive full fee coverage at government engineering colleges or Rs. 1.50 lakh (or actual tuition, whichever is less) at private institutions.
Law Students: Students admitted to National Law Universities or Delhi University through CLAT are eligible.
Other programs: Students enrolled in integrated postgraduate or dual degree courses in government or aided colleges and universities are also covered.
