The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday decided to increase the MBBS fee in government and private colleges in the state. The Chief Minister's Office said that the decision was taken to ensure “better medical education and infrastructure facilities”.
Meanwhile, regulators of other types of institutions such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had asked institutions to refrain from increasing fees this year citing the financial difficulties faced by students and parents due to the pandemic.
Punjab Chief Minister's Office, through the official social media account, said: “To ensure better medical education and infrastructure facilities for students, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh led Punjab Cabinet has decided to increase the fee for the MBBS course in Government and Private Medical Colleges of the state.”
In the same meeting, the Cabinet introduced a “slew of reforms” to ease the burden on the state citing the extended lockdown which caused a “30% revenue receipt shortfall”.
The Punjab Government had increased the stipend for medical students from Rs 9,000 to Rs 15,000 following protests from MBBS interns demanding a hike. Stipends for medical interns are decided by state governments and, before the hike, Punjab was one of the lowest paying states.
