Haryana government reduces bond policy amount; MBBS students reject changes

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Wednesday reduced the bond policy amount from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 30 lakh and cut down the duration of compulsory government service from seven to five years, but the move failed to cut ice with MBBS students. The students, who have been protesting against the bond policy for nearly a month, rejected the changes, which were announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and said that their agitation will continue.

Facing criticism from the Opposition over the bond policy, Khattar took charge on Wednesday and held a four-hour meeting with the representatives of the protesting students. Announcing the changes after the meeting, the chief minister said the government has reduced the duration of compulsory government service under the bond policy from seven years to five years. The bond amount has also been reduced from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. After deducting the fees, the amount will come out to be around Rs 25 lakh, he said. It was also decided to give a 10 per cent relaxation to girls, excluding the institutional fees, Khattar said. It was also decided that in case of any untoward incident with an MBBS student, his or her family will not be bound to pay the bond amount, he said.

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The state government also said it will provide a job on contractual basis to MBBS students within a year of completion of their studies. In the case of a student doing a private job after completing studies and getting a salary less than what a government medical officer gets, he or she will not have to pay the bond amount until his or her salary is commensurate with or more than that of the medical officer. MBBS final-year student Anuj Dhania, who was part of the meeting with Khattar, said the students did not accept the changes announced by Khattar. "Our protest will continue," said Dhania. PGIMS Rohtak Resident Doctors Association president Dr Ankit Gulia also said the protest will continue.

The demands of the protesting students include reducing the duration of the compulsory government service to one year and that the bond default amount should not exceed Rs 5 lakh. The bond policy earlier stated that students taking admission in government medical colleges would have to execute a tripartite bond (between student, bank and government) of Rs 40 lakh including fee. If a student opts not to serve in a state government health institution after the completion of MBBS course, then he or she will have to pay the amount. The moratorium shall be extended in case a student wishes to pursue post-graduation. The aim of the policy is to ensure students serve for seven years in government facilities. A meeting between representatives of MBBS students, resident doctors and Haryana government officials on Sunday had remained inconclusive.