'Revised merit list process opaque, limits state's role'

Lack of clarity in new system leads to concerns, even as the matter is under scrutiny in the Supreme Court

- Vikrant Jha

The National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) have announced a new process for preparing state merit ranks (SMR) for NEET-PG 2024 candidates.

NBEMS – and not individual states – will now prepare state-specific merit lists. However, lack of transparency in this new system has led to concerns, particularly as the matter is already under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, where petitioners have demanded access to raw scores.

NBEMS’ new role in preparing the merit ranks was confirmed in a recent NMC letter to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The letter cited prevention of potential delays in the NEETPG counselling process as the reason for the centralised process.