The second round of counseling under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) for filling up 802 vacant seats under Reserved Categories in engineering, medical and general courses will begin at the designated Counseling Centers from 17 July 2017. The counseling of students seeking admission in engineering colleges under lateral entry would be held on 19 July 2017.According to a notification issued by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the counseling of reserved category students falling between Merit No: 6001 to 11000 will be held on 17 July 2017 while the counseling of such students falling under Merit No: 11001 to 19705 will be held on 18 July 2017. Similarly, the counseling of students who have applied for admission in engineering courses under PMSSS through lateral entry would be held on 19 July 2017.The counseling will be held at the designated Centres including Amar Singh College, Srinagar, Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu and Government Eliezer Joldan Memorial College, Leh.Pertinently, after the first round of counseling under PMSSS which concluded on 6 July 2017, 2628 seats out of 3430 seats stand filled which include 1863 seats under general category and 755 seats under the reserved categories.While in open category all the seats have been filled in engineering, general and medical courses, there are only 802 seats left under the reserved categories to be filled in the next round of counseling. The unfilled seats under reserved categories include 686 in engineering, 114 in general courses and 2 in medical stream.
However, the AICTE is yet to decide whether it will convert the unfilled reserved category seats into open category so that no seat goes unfilled as was done last year on the intervention of the J&K Education Department.When contacted Education Minister, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said that he will take up this matter with AICTE authorities to ensure that no seat under PMSSS goes unfilled this year as well and maximum number of students are able to benefit from the flagship scheme. He hailed the AICTE authorities for ensuring effective implementation of the pioneering scholarship scheme for J&K students which has already benefitted thousands of JK youth facilitating them to go for higher studies in the institutions of repute outside the State.He said the State Government would ensure that from next year 5000 students get admission under PMSSS. “We are also trying to get the scholarship limit raised for all the courses,” he said.
Under PMSSS scholarship to J&K students upto Rs 30000 per annum per student is available for general courses, upto Rs 1.25 lakh per annum per student for engineering courses and upto Rs 3 lakh per annum per student for medical/dental courses. Besides, every student is entitled upto Rs 1 lakh per annum as maintenance charges.The students taking admission, by virtue of their own merit after qualifying JEE/NEET, in institutions like IITs, NITs, Medical Colleges, Dental Colleges and Central Universities outside J&K are also eligible for scholarship under PMSSS.It is pertinent to mention that most of the students from J&K have secured admission in some of the reputed colleges across the country under PMSSS. These include Delhi College of Engineering, Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology, St Stephens College Delhi, University Institute of Engineering and Technology Rohtak, Lady Shri Ram College for Women New Delhi, Birla Institute of Technology Jharkhand, Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College Himachal Pradesh (HP), Netaji Subash Institute of Technology, Delhi and DAV College Haryana.