The Hindu : Kerala News : Shortage of medical entrance forms worries students

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 03, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Shortage of medical entrance forms worries students

By K. Santhosh

THRISSUR, NOV. 2. A shortage of application forms for the All-India Pre-Medical/ Dental Entrance Examination worries students in the State.

Most of the 10 specified branches of the Canara Bank, the authorised suppliers, in the State have sold out the application forms issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). And the stocks have not been replenished.

A CBSE notification had said that the forms were to be sold by the bank from October 15 to November 19. The last date for submitting applications is November 22.

The application forms in the general category cost Rs.300 each and those for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates Rs.150 each. The bank takes an additional Rs.6 as service charge for each form.

The CBSE had issued 1,800 forms (general category) to the Thrissur Main Branch (Round South), 3,200 to the Kochi (Broadway) branch, 1,400 to Kollam, 2,400 to Puthenchantha, 700 to Chala and 500 to Palakkad.

"The forms in the general category are now available at only a few branches. Though the notification had stated that the forms should be sold from October 15, my branch received them only on October 20. All the forms were sold by October 26,'' says M.R. Radhakrishnan, manager of the Canara Bank Main branch here.

Mr. Radhakrishnan claims that his branch receives 200 to 300 calls every day, demanding the forms. "The demand is high as the private entrance coaching centres in Thrissur attract a lot of students. The CBSE maintains that it has increased its supply of forms by 15 per cent this year. Yet, the supply does not meet the demand. I had called up their head office and requested them to issue more forms, but there has been no response.''

The head office of the CBSE, in New Delhi, told The Hindu that the demand for forms, by branches of the Canara Bank in Kerala, was "being processed.''

Students can also obtain the forms from the head office (2 Community Centre, Preet Vihar, New Delhi - 92) by sending demand drafts (payable at New Delhi), officials say.

"We are aware of the problem in Kerala and will solve it in a few days,'' says a senior CBSE official.

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