The Assam cabinet on Monday eased medical college admission rules, allowing permanent residents who studied outside the state to apply under the state quota, provided their last three generations are Assam residents.

Their residency status will have to be certified by their respective district commissioner.

Approving the Amendments to the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st Year MBBS/BDS Courses) Rules, 2017 (as amended up to 2025), the cabinet also decided to delete the clause that made it mandatory for students to complete Classes VII–XII in Assam, which had “deprived” eligible candidates who are genuine permanent residents of Assam but have studied outside the state.

“This decision will not adversely affect anyone because there are around 1,800 medical seats in the state,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the cabinet meeting.

Sarma further stated that the Moran community of Arunachal Pradesh will also be eligible for MBBS and BDS admission in Assam under the state quota.

The Moran community living in Arunachal Pradesh will be treated at par with the Moran community living in Assam from the 2026 session for admission into MBBS/BDS courses in Assam, the cabinet has decided.

“They will be treated as Assamese for medical admission,” Sarma said.

Earlier in March this year, the Assam cabinet had decided to issue permanent resident certificates to Moran community members living in Arunachal Pradesh, which does not issue PRCs to the Moran community, mainly residing in districts such as Namsai and Changlang. Their population is estimated at around 30,000.

The Moran community in Assam is mainly concentrated in the Upper Assam districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar. They have intensified protests seeking Scheduled Tribes status.

The cabinet also approved ₹4,257 crore for the upgrade of Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and the strengthening of Srimanta Sankardev University of Health Sciences.