MBBS Seat distribution in India

According to National Medical Commission there are 99,763 MBBS (Doctor) seats in India as on 27 February 2023 (source: NMC).

Distribution of seats based on ownership:

Management	Seats
Govt.	50,623
Trust	39,215
Society	5,400
Private	2,700
Govt-Society	1,825
Total	99,763

State and Union Territory wise distribution:

States / UTs	Seats	States / UTs	Seats
Tamil Nadu	11,225	Pondicherry	1,630
Karnataka	10,995	Delhi	1,497
Maharashtra	10,145	Assam	1,250
Uttar Pradesh	9,153	Uttarakhand	1,150
Telangana	6,990	Jammu & Kashmir	1,147
Gujarat	6,450	Jharkhand	930
Andhra Pradesh	5,585	Himachal Pradesh	920
Rajasthan	5,075	Manipur	525
West Bengal	4,825	Tripura	225
Kerala	4,505	Goa	180
Madhya Pradesh	4,180	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	177
Bihar	2,565	Sikkim	150
Orissa	2,325	Chandigarh	150
Chattisgarh	1,915	Andaman Nicobar Islands	114
Haryana	1,835	Mizoram	100
Punjab	1,750	Meghalaya	50
		Arunachal Pradesh	50
Total	89,518		10,245

According to a report there are six states which have doctors ratio more than WHO guidelines. They are as per the report in Times Of India (2018):

Why Karnataka and Tamil Nadu performs well is due to total seats available in this two states which is highest in India. Kerala , Delhi and Goa has comparatively very less population vis-à-vis Tamil Nadu and Karnataka hence they fare well.

Now the distribution of the ownership in the states display a picture as to why Karnataka is popular for MBBS education. Students of nearby states flock there for admission.

State	Trust	Govt.	Society	Private	Seats
Karnataka	7,195	3,500	150	150	10,995

Source:

Honor- When competitors take advise

Below write up on Azim Premji I know by Narayana Murthy touched upon a point on how his competitor use to listen to them on what is going on in the industry:

Once Infosys started operating in the post-liberalisation era, Azim realised that we were on to something good and his respect for Infosys and me multiplied several times. He would call me several times a year to find out about our progress and our market strategies. I was very open with him and did not hide anything from him since I knew that our superiority with our competitors came only from how quickly we came out with new ideas and how well and quickly we executed them.

He was shy about coming many times to our office in Electronics City and would nudge me to visit him in his isolated turret on the Wipro campus in Sarjapur. While most of the time I went alone to his office, a couple of times I took Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan and Mohandas Pai with me. We would go into detailed discussions of how we were managing Infosys. Azim and his CEOs, Vivek Paul and Chandrashekaran, would ask a barrage of questions. We truthfully answered them.

Source: The Azim Premji I Knew

Truly a great honor for Narayana Murthy of Infosys.

Biased writing - Business writers

Article appeared in Bloomberg by Andy Mukherjee (republished in Business Standard on January 17, 2023) titled  "Visa, Mastercard may be allowed a share of India's online payments".

Let us reproduce the lines from the newspaper and pose a counter question:

India’s dealings with American card networks has been frosty. Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. have grumbled to Washington about the lack of a level playing field as New Delhi has cajoled banks to shift to a homegrown alternative.

Question: Is the author worried about Visa and Mastercard ? reason being SBI, Axis, ICICI Bank to go live on 'Rupay Credit card on UPI' by March. Is it India's dealing frosty or Visa and Mastercard are worried that they may lose the business. Author started off with a biased mindset.

The Morning Context, the Reserve Bank of India is keen to grant Visa and Mastercard access to the country's popular online payments protocol. 

Question: Is The Morning Context a widely read print / digital newspaper / magazine in India. I think even in metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai. Kolkatta very few people have heard about The Morning Context. The reference, author is quoting is only well know to him. A quick survey with Bloomberg / Business Standard subscribers about the Morning Context will give a quick answer, forget about India as a whole,

Opening up this large and fast-growing market to the major networks will mean that credit limits will be used, without the physical cards being swiped. This could potentially be a big deal as at least some users will want to borrow for purchases, instead of using their own funds.

Question: Is the author promoting credit card by stating that credit limits will be used. Is he pleading that please allow Visa and Mastercard to be joined in UPI by stating at least some users will want to borrow.. very disappointing. Author has to understand use of physical cards are very less than the QR codes in terms of usage.

It’s a duopoly that makes the Indian government nervous. Today, New Delhi and Washington have a common interest in countering Beijing. Tomorrow, the alignment might shift. If the US tries to use payment as a foreign-policy lever, taking a leaf from sanctions against Russia, then India must be able to soften the blow.

Question: UPI is Indian product for Indian citizens, why Washington and Beijing should be brought in along with Russia. Author: are you threatening India by playing Chinese card? once again very disappointing.

Finally, the motive of the article is clear:

At present, UPI spending comes out of consumers’ savings accounts. From a user’s perspective, scanning a QR is equivalent to paying a business in cash — without having to visit an ATM. From a bank’s standpoint, however, deposits are costly; account holders have to be paid interest. And then the lender has to go and earn a spread. However, if some purchases move to credit cards, the bank providing the loan immediately acquires a lucrative asset and starts praying that the customer won’t pay the full-statement amount. Out of the 2 per cent transaction charge, the cardholder’s bank earns four-fifths; the remaining gets shared between the retailer’s bank, the NPCI … and the card networks. Everyone makes money. So that when the state subsidies to popularize online payments end, all debit transactions can still remain free.

Question: There is no question for above statement where the intention of author is crystal clear, promoting Credit Card vide Visa and Mastercard. Author is worried when spending comes out of consumers saving account, is it bad if the consumer is conscious about the cash he is spending.  It appears the author wants customer to use credit card. 

What is the relevance of the this line or connection with Visa / Mastercard : From a bank’s standpoint, however, deposits are costly; account holders have to be paid interest. And then the lender has to go and earn a spread.  Author: where is the deposit involved and it is costly. In fact use of credit card is costly to the customers which you are not stating. On the contrary author is explaining how the 2% charge will be shared, nowhere mentioning about the interest rate charged by the credit card companies to customers on delayed payments.

Articles by Andy Mukherjee in Bloomberg was well covered under "Gems of Andy Mukherjee: Bloomberg columnist whose hot takes on India should be free for all and put in museum for everyone’s enjoyment".

Varsa - Documentary worth watching

Varsa - Marathi Documentary on Mardani Khel is worth watching. It is a breath of fresh air.

Documentary which highlights the importance of preserving the local sports.

Mystery of Life

 A fine quote from the movie Dune (2021):

The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it.

Source: Dune

King Shalya was Sledging

In cricket sledging is very common, this is done to demotivate your opponent and let him lose control over his game. Most important part is to push the opponent to commit a mistake.

So is sledging new, no it is as old as oceans.

For this we have to refer Indian History. An extract from a newspaper article will open the eyes:

But this decision proved to be a fatal mistake, for when Karna’s chariot wheel got stuck in the mud Shalya argued as king he had never changed wheels, but surely as charioteer’s son Karna would know better, thus showing the sarathi (chariot-driver) turned rathi (chariot-rider) his place in the social hierarchy.

But even before this dramatic event, Shalya kept praising Arjuna’s skill in archery, thus demotivating Karna. It was a charioteer’s job to motivate the chariot-rider, as Krishna motivated Arjuna, but Shalya did the very opposite. The reason for this was simple: he resented being tricked by Duryodhana to fight against the Pandavas, not to mention serving as charioteer to the charioteer’s son. Yudhishtira, on learning of how Shalya had been tricked, had asked his uncle only one thing, ‘Let your body fight for them but let your mind fight for us.’

Source: The Print

Yet another new learning from the Divine Epic Mahabharata.

Salutations to the Divine Sage / Guru Veda Vyasa.

Ancient Indian Education System

A great interview by Sahana Singh on ancient Indian Education System worth listening. 

Lots of examples not just plain talks. Worth listening by every Indian.

I will thank Internet that this knowledge is emerging and being passed on to the whole world.

Source: Francois Gautier