Karnataka NEET UG: Students complain of technical glitches, application submission deadline deferred to October 25

UG NEET aspirants — who were to fill out their admission applications by October 15 — are now lurking in uncertainty after technical glitches hit the KEA website restraining them from processing their applications further. The last date of submitting the application has now been deferred to October 25.

Humaira, a UG NEET student, sat for 12 hours before the computer to try her luck in applying for UG NEET. “My mother and I took turns during midnight to check whether the website is free of technical glitches. But after multiple attempts we gave up and turned up to the KEA office to finish the application process,” said Humaira.

UG NEET candidates also complained that the admission acknowledgment slip that will be generated after the application process has still not been generated due to ‘server’ issues. The KEA on its website has stated that the “print application process for UG NEET is disabled because of server issues and will be available only after 5 pm”.

Gautam H, another UG NEET candidate said that KEA is nothing but Karnataka Error Authority. “After unknowingly clicking on an option related to NRI seats, the website is now asking me to cough up an additional Rs 4,000 to block the seat. I am now unable to undo the option because there is no edit option for this clause. ”

KEA officials pointed out that multiple admission process at the same time is causing severe technical problems. The admission process is now underway for CET engineering, UG NEET, PG NEET, KPTCL exam, Postgraduate in MD and MS, assistant teacher recruitment, among others.

An official said, ” The old softwares are not able to manage a plethora of data when multiple admission process for different courses are underway. Moreover, administratively, some of the personnel managing the admission process are new to the task. They are yet to be skilled in handling the situation.”

KEA executive director S Ramya clarified that the authority is yet to adapt to new software and programming and that old softwares are now managing multiple admission process at the same time.

In addition, about 15,000 to 20,000 CET candidates have entered the incorrect RD number while applying for engineering seats, until which the KEA cannot publish the mock allotment seats. The official said, “The KEA has now sought the opinion of the state government to resolve the problem of wrong data entry by 15,000 to 20,000 students until which mock allotment seats cannot be uploaded.”

Meanwhile, PG NEET students complain that the KEA is not in alignment with the all India counselling (AIC) round for admission. While the AIC is in round 2, Karnataka is yet to cross round 1.

Moreover, the in-service MBBS students (who serve in public health centers in rural areas for more than 3 years) have now gone to Karnataka High Court seeking an increase in the reservation for in-service category students to 30% from 15%. In fact, the reservation was 30% for the academic year 2021 only but there was no clarity whether the same would apply for the subsequent years.

Arun NS, a PG NEET aspirant, belonging to the general merit category said, “This move by in-service candidates is totally unfair and uncalled for. They are only 130 in number and are demanding an increase in reservations. Although KEA has clarified that the reservation percentage might vary.”

However, he also complained that, “The results for PG NEET were announced in May and KEA is yet to finish the state round one counseling and kickstart the academic year. KEA is way behind the all India schedule because of its administrative loopholes.”