Jammu

In a significant relief to 50 medical students impacted by the closure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) has announced fresh counselling on January 24 to facilitate their adjustment in government medical colleges across the Union Territory.

According to an official notification uploaded on the Board’s website, the affected students will be accommodated against 50 supernumerary seats across seven newly established government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir. The allocation will be carried out strictly on the basis of candidates’ NEET-UG merit rankings and their stated preferences.

Earlier, the Board had clarified that it was not authorised to conduct fresh MBBS counselling and that the decision on accommodating students admitted to SMVDIME rested with the government. This position was conveyed in a letter to the Health and Medical Education Department, which had sought the Board’s assistance in relocating the students.

Supernumerary seats are additional seats created over and above the sanctioned intake, typically to address exceptional circumstances or ensure continuity of education.

Earlier this month, the National Medical Commission’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board withdrew the letter of permission granted to SMVDIME after the institute failed to meet prescribed minimum standards.

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The regulatory body had subsequently directed that students admitted through the counselling process be accommodated in other medical institutions within Jammu and Kashmir against supernumerary seats.