The Union Government has approved 10,023 more medical seats in government medical colleges under centrally sponsored schemes from Financial Year 2025–26
to 2028–29. It is a key step to improve medical education infrastructure across the country. The information shared by the National Medical Commission (NMC) highlights that India has witnessed a substantial rise in undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats over the last five years. Between Academic Year (AY) 2020–21 and 2025–26, MBBS seats increased by 48,563, while postgraduate (PG) medical seats rose by 29,080. Since the seats were increased, many students were able to pursue medical education within the country. Have a clear look of the increase in medical seats between AY 2020–21 and 2025–26
| Category | Total increase in seats |
| MBBS | 48,563 |
| PG medical seats | 29,080 |
Understanding the larger impact of increasing the medical seats, the government has now sanctioned additional seats under centrally sponsored schemes. The aim is to strengthen government-run medical colleges over the next four financial years.
Additional medical seats under centrally sponsored schemes
| Financial year coverage | Seats approved |
|---|---|
| FY 2025–26 to FY 2028–29 | 10,023 |
Year-wise data released by the NMC shows a steady increase in PG medical seats. The highest rise has been recorded in the current academic year.
Year-wise Increase in PG Medical Seats
| Academic year | Increase in PG seats |
|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 4,983 |
| 2021–22 | 4,705 |
| 2022–23 | 2,874 |
| 2023–24 | 4,713 |
| 2024–25 | 4,186 |
| 2025–26 | 7,619 |
To ensure quality alongside expansion, the NMC has notified several regulations. Some of them are the Minimum Standards Requirement, Undergraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023, and the Competency-Based Medical Education Curriculum Guidelines 2024. These measures aim to ensure uniform standards and high-quality medical training across institutions nationwide.The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on December 16.
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