SRINAGAR: The Central government on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that it does not maintain data on the number of Indian students who had enrolled in medical colleges in Pakistan before the National Medical Commission (NMC) issued its advisory in April 2022, but said security clearance for such students is processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) based on inputs from security agencies.
Responding to an unstarred question by MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said the NMC seeks security clearance from the MHA for students who were admitted to medical colleges in Pakistan before April 13, 2022.
The minister said the NMC does not maintain information on the total number of such students whose cases are pending security clearance. He added that the MHA issues security clearance after receiving inputs from security agencies.
Once the security clearance is received from the MHA, the NMC processes the applications expeditiously for the issuance of Eligibility Certificates (ECs), the government said.
The question had also sought details on the average and maximum time taken to process security clearances, whether any timeline had been prescribed for disposal of such applications, and the steps taken to ensure that students admitted before the policy change are not deprived of the opportunity to appear in the licensing examination due to prolonged pendency. However, the government’s reply did not specify any timeline or provide data on pending cases.
