Srinagar, Sep 08: In a significant support measure for families affected by terrorism, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has earmarked four MBBS seats from the Central Pool for the academic year 2026-27 for spouses and children of civilian victims of terrorism.
According to an official notification, the MHA, in a time-bound communication to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, has asked administrations, including Jammu and Kashmir, to give wide publicity to the scheme and invite applications from eligible candidates.
“Of the four seats, one has been earmarked at A.N. Magadh Medical College, Gaya, Bihar; one at Grant Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra and two at Pt. JNM Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh,” the official letter reads.
The ministry said the initiative is aimed at extending educational support to families that have suffered the devastating consequences of terrorism.
“As per the eligibility criteria, the candidate must be the spouse or child of a deceased or disabled civilian victim of terrorism, besides fulfilling the prescribed age, educational and NEET-UG 2026 qualification requirements,” it states.
The MHA has laid down a clear order of priority for allotment. Priority-one will go to children whose both parents have been killed by terrorists. Priority-two covers children of families whose sole breadwinner was killed by terrorists, while Priority-three includes wards of victims who suffered permanent disability or serious injury in terrorist operations.
“The seats will be allotted on the basis of NEET (UG)-2026 rank, subject to fulfilment of the prescribed eligibility conditions. The ministry has directed that priority-one candidates be considered first, followed by priority-two and priority-III candidates if seats remain available,” the official letter reads.
Importantly, the benefit will be restricted to one ward of a civilian terror victim. “If one ward has already availed the benefit, another ward from the same family will not be eligible for consideration under these reserved seats,” he said.
The MHA has asked State Governments and UT administrations to ensure proper verification and authentication of applications before forwarding them to the ministry.
“It may kindly be noted that only the application received by December 12, 2026 in the Ministry of Home Affairs, will be considered for allotment of the abovementioned seats. No extension of the last date and no reminder will be issued,” the communication states. “Eligible candidates from J&K and other States and Union Territories have thus been given a narrow window to submit their applications, with the deadline fixed for September 12, 2026.”
The measure comes as an important educational lifeline for children and families who have borne the human cost of terrorism, offering deserving candidates an opportunity to pursue medical education through the Central Pool.
