The Medical Council of India’s board of governors has approved increasing postgraduate medical seats for MD and MS programmes by over 4,800 to 36,192 for the next academic session, an official said on Monday. BoG chairman and Niti Aayog member V.K. Paul said the increase is more than the total number of additional seats created in the past five years. “The Narendra Modi government in 2014 had promised to double PG and UG medical seats by 2024. So, in that direction the board of governors-vested with power of the Medical Council of India has given its approval to increase postgraduate medical seats (broad speciality) in 2020-21 session by 4,807. “So, as a result, in the new academic session counselling, 36,192 PG medical seats (MD/MS, broad speciality) will be available,” Paul said. Paul also said the capacity expansion would improve tertiary care in the country. “In 2020-21 academic session, approximately 44,000 postgraduate medical seats (36,192 MD/MS seats a...