Jammu: Congress general secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Sayeed Naseer Hussain, on Friday said the cancellation of permission to run an MBBS course at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) was against the overall interests of the youth of the region.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) late on Tuesday withdrew the permission citing serious deficiencies in infrastructure, including faculty strength and clinical material.
“The cancellation of permission to SMVDIME is very wrong. It is a wrong decision against the overall interest of the youth of the region,” Hussain told reporters here.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the central government should have examined the issue in a broader perspective and rectified the original mistake of not granting minority status to the institution, respecting religious sentiments and merit to enable the production of more doctors.
He also questioned the fate of around 300 employees engaged at the college.
Hussain further criticised the failure of the Centre to rehabilitate thousands of flood-affected people in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Jammu region, who suffered massive losses in floods eight months ago.
“Only routine infrastructure and other losses are being covered, which is quite inadequate. Poor people and farmers are still suffering with no proper relief and rehabilitation,” he said.
The NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) withdrew the letter of permission granted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu’s Reasi district for non-compliance with minimum standards.
The MARB said all students admitted to the college during counselling for the academic year 2025–26 shall be accommodated in other medical institutions in Jammu and Kashmir as supernumerary seats by the competent authority of the Union Territory administration.
The MARB order came against the backdrop of an agitation by the Sangharsh Samiti, a recently formed conglomerate of right-wing organisations backed by the BJP, demanding cancellation of admissions to the college and seeking reservation of seats exclusively for students professing faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.
