Poor on Paper, Rich in Reality: ‘EWS’ Students Pay ₹1 Crore for Medical Seats.

A Times of India report highlights a glaring financial contradiction in the NEET PG (Post-Graduate) medical admission process.

Approximately 140 candidates who officially claimed to belong to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) – defined as having an annual family income of less than ₹8 lakh – secured admission into private medical colleges under “Management” and “NRI” quotas.

These quotas are notoriously expensive, with tuition fees ranging from ₹25 lakh to over ₹1 crore per year.

Case-1: Belagavi (Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College): An EWS candidate (NEET rank > 1.1 lakh) took an NRI quota seat for MD Dermatology, paying over ₹1 crore/year.

Case-2: Navi Mumbai (Dr DY Patil Medical College): 4 out of 16 management quota seats for PG General Medicine were taken by EWS candidates, paying ₹48.5 lakh/year.

When privilege masquerades as poverty, it doesn’t just break a rule – it steals a lifeline. Every seat bought with a fake certificate is a dream denied to a student who truly had nothing but their merit.