GUWAHATI, June 16 � The Medical Council of India (MCI) has accorded permanent recognition to the Jorhat Medical College and extended the recognition of the Barpeta Medical College, besides allotting recognition to a new medical college in Tezpur.
Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that the MCI�s recognition came on June 11 after the medical body carried out its annual inspection.
�There were reports in the media that the MCI has derecognized the medical colleges in Barpeta and Jorhat. Nobody approached me to know the other side of the story. The fact is that annual inspections are carried out till June 15 every year and only then the list of derecognized institutions is published,� Sarma said.
He added, �In fact, what has happened is that the Jorhat Medical College has been given permanent recognition and so now there will be no MCI inspection for the next five years. Besides, the MCI has passed the Barpeta Medical College also after the annual inspection and has also granted new recognition to the Tezpur Medical College.�
He said with the recognition granted to the Tezpur Medical College, there will now be an additional 100 seats available for students.
�So this time, the number of seats available in medical colleges of Assam will be an all-time high,� Sarma said.
In addition, the MCI has also accorded recognition to four post-graduate courses at the Jorhat Medical College, including anatomy and physiology.
He added that orders have been issued for transfer of the Principal of Gauhati Commerce College and suspension of �six-seven� faculty members of the college who were involved in an unsavoury incident some time back.
Sarma added that appointment of 3,500 LPME teachers selected for Hindi and Bangla medium schools by Medium TET would be appointed on June 20 at a special programme in Silchar. While 3,200 of them would be for the Barak Valley, the remaining would cater to schools in Lumding, Hojai, Tinsukia and other places.
In addition, appointment would also be provided by June 25 to 4,000 Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates who were recruited during a special drive.
�Following these two batches of appointments, Assam will become the only State in Eastern and North Eastern India to comply with the RTE norm of having at least two teachers in every school,� Sarma said.
The Minister added that the process for provincialization of colleges will be completed by December 31.
Asked about the dissident activities in the Congress, Sarma said, �I had already said yesterday what I had to say. Till the date I am sitting in my chair, I will continue to do my work.�
Claiming that he has �the best of relations with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi yesterday, today and tomorrow�, Sarma admitted that whatever differences exist are political in nature.
�Maybe we have differences regarding ways of looking at things,� Sarma said.
Asked if there is any possibility of his quitting the Congress party, he said, �How can a dedicated Congressman ever leave the party� Rather than leave the party it is better to remain an ordinary member.�
