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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Maharashtra Is Losing PG Seats and Medical Standards

As the Centre expands PG medical seats, Maharashtra is losing both seats and standards—amid faculty shortages and allegations of corruption in contractual appointments. Even as the Union government expands PG medical seats nationwide, Maharashtra is losing ground due to a chronic faculty shortage in government medical colleges. At Rajarshi Shahu Government Medical College, vacancies across seven departments have already cost 23 PG seats, with the total likely to rise to 40 as more seats...

Maharashtra Is Losing PG Seats and Medical Standards

As the Centre expands PG medical seats, Maharashtra is losing both seats and standards—amid faculty shortages and allegations of corruption in contractual appointments. Even as the Union government expands PG medical seats nationwide, Maharashtra is losing ground due to a chronic faculty shortage in government medical colleges. At Rajarshi Shahu Government Medical College, vacancies across seven departments have already cost 23 PG seats, with the total likely to rise to 40 as more seats remain unsanctioned. Kolhapur is no exception: a review of nearly 30 government medical colleges suggests Maharashtra may have lost over 600 PG seats to faculty shortages. A recent Maharashtra University of Health Sciences report underscores the crisis: of 25 colleges assessed, 10 had over 50 per cent teaching vacancies. The starkest case is Ratnagiri’s government medical college, where only 12 per cent of sanctioned faculty posts are filled and no department has a full professor. Newly established colleges in Parbhani and Satara fare little better, with faculty strength at 34 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. PG courses have yet to start, raising concerns over expansion and the quality of undergraduate training. Even among 17 colleges already offering PG education, faculty shortages remain acute. Infrastructure and students are in place, but PG approvals hinge on faculty strength. Under NMC norms, a professor can guide three PG students and an associate professor two, making the faculty a hard cap on capacity. Short System For decades, the State’s Directorate of Medical Education has relied on temporary faculty deputations to meet inspection norms—first under the Medical Council of India and now the National Medical Commission. Faculty were shifted across colleges before inspections and sent back later, a stopgap that masked structural gaps. The report flags the practice, but there is little sign of corrective action. Critics say the state continues to announce new medical colleges—often for political reasons—without adequate staffing. The result is a double blow: lost PG seats and a gradual decline in undergraduate medical education in a state once seen as a leader in the field. Built Before Staffed Would any school open before hiring teachers? The question is basic in primary education; in medical colleges, it is critical. Yet in Maharashtra, the sequence appears reversed. The National Medical Commission sets stringent norms for approving medical colleges, including faculty and infrastructure. Institutions must meet at least 95 per cent of these norms for approval. Yet Maharashtra seems to follow a different model—where political announcements come before preparedness. Medical colleges are declared, infrastructure is built, and approvals are secured—often by stretching compliance on paper. Only after admissions begin does the hunt for faculty start. The flaw is obvious: training a medical teacher takes nearly 27 years, making quick fixes impossible and leaving students to pay the price. The same report underscores the scale of the problem: not a single government medical college in the state meets prescribed faculty strength. Even Grant Medical College—one of the country’s oldest institutions—has a 10 per cent faculty shortfall, suggesting far deeper gaps elsewhere. In several colleges, contractual appointments are being used to patch vacancies. But the economics are untenable: the cost of medical education and the pay offered to contractual teachers do not align. Faculty hired on 11-month contracts often do not return, undermining continuity and quality. Unless permanent recruitment is prioritised and pay is aligned with market realities, the faculty deficit is unlikely to ease. One immediate remedy is ad hoc promotions, allowing departmental selection committees to move existing faculty up the hierarchy and open entry-level posts for young postgraduates as lecturers. The system was used earlier but has since fallen out of practice, while recruitment through the State Public Service Commission has also slowed. The fallout is already visible. AIIMS Nagpur has drawn faculty away from government colleges, offering nearly 1.5 times higher pay and greater job stability. State-run institutions, by contrast, continue to struggle with transfers, lower pay, and weak incentives—especially in rural areas. Teachers posted in cities are reluctant to move to rural Maharashtra, where lower housing allowances can cut salaries by up to Rs 40,000 and schooling options are limited. Without targeted incentives, attracting faculty to these regions will remain difficult. Cost of Opacity Even as the shortage deepens, allegations of malpractice persist. Transfers and temporary appointments are reportedly being used for rent-seeking, with some candidates allegedly paying a month’s salary for an 11-month contract. Such claims have surfaced in Kolhapur, where medical circles say payments are being sought for reappointments despite acute shortages. In one case, a teacher reportedly refused to pay and lost the post, only to later be selected through the Public Service Commission—raising troubling questions about merit being sidelined. Whether the state's medical education authorities investigate these allegations may show how deeply entrenched the practice is. (The writer is a senior journalist based in Kolhapur. Views personal.)

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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