Hooda backs medical students' protest in Haryana against bond policy

The medical students of Haryana have been protesting at the PGIMS Rohtak for a few weeks against the bond policy for medical admission, now former chief minister and leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda came in their support.

The protest is still going on in the state against the bond policy in medical admission and now former chief minister and leader of the opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also supported the protesting students.

He extended support to medical students agitating against the state government’s bond policy and assured them of raising their issue in the House.

“The government’s decision is wrong because poor and middle-class families will not be able to provide medical education to their children due to imposition of the bond policy,” the Congress leader said in a statement after meeting with the protesting students, as reported by The Print.

“Medical institutions like the Cancer Institute and AIIMS came to Haryana only during the Congress government… Medical education was given to students at a nominal fee because the Congress government consider education a responsibility. But the BJP-JJP government is commercialising education,” he said in the statement.

Haryana government's assurances didn't convince protesting students

The state government assured the students that the bond amount will not be taken from them during admission and instead they need to sign a bond-cum-loan agreement of the amount and the amount needed to pay to the government only when the candidates decide that they do not wish to join government services in Haryana and serve for seven years as per the bond.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently said that no student will have to deposit the INR 10 lakh bond amount at the time of MBBS admission in government colleges.

An official statement issued earlier had said they would instead have to sign a bond-cum-loan agreement of the amount with the college and the bank concerned.

“If the MBBS/MD pass outs wish to join the state government and serve for seven years, the government will finance the bond amount. But candidates who do not want to join government services in Haryana will have to pay the amount themselves,” the statement said.

However, despite the state government’s assurances, some of the protesting students have said the condition that they will not be required to pay the bond fee at the time of admission will not serve the desired purpose as they will have to repay the loan amount to the bank with interest.

Read more:

• FAIMA requests Haryana govt to revisit bond policy for MBBS admissions
• Haryana Bond Policy Protests: FORDA, RDA RML observe Black Day today