New Delhi, Jan 14 : The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has lowered the minimum qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG 2025 counselling, according to official sources from the Ministry.

It has been slashed to zero percentile for reserved categories.

The move addresses the large number of vacant postgraduate medical seats -- over 18,000 PG seats -- after the completion of Round-2 counselling in government and private medical colleges across the country.

The previous percentile thresholds had restricted the pool of eligible candidates despite the availability of seats.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had formally requested a revision of the qualifying cut-off on January 12, citing the urgent need to prevent seat wastage and strengthen healthcare services.

â??The revision aims to ensure optimal utilisation of available seats, which are vital for expanding Indiaâ??s pool of trained medical specialists. Leaving such seats vacant undermines national efforts to improve healthcare delivery and results in the loss of valuable educational resources,â?? the sources said.

NEET-PG serves as a ranking mechanism to facilitate a transparent, merit-based allocation of seats through centralised counselling.

While the qualifying cut-off has been lowered, NEET-PG 2025 ranks will remain unchanged as published earlier, as per the NBEMS.

â??Eligibility is provisional and will be verified through MBBS/FMGE aggregate marks, Face ID, or biometric checks at the time of admission,â?? the board said in its official notice.

It also warned that incorrect or false information provided in the application -- especially if used in tie-breaking -- will lead to cancellation of candidature.

With the revision, allotments will be made only through authorised counselling mechanisms; no direct or discretionary admissions are permitted, improving transparency of the process.

Inter-se merit and choice-based allocation will continue to guide seat distribution.

Further, there will be no dilution of academic standards. The revised percentile merely expands eligibility among already-qualified MBBS doctors.

/IANS