Aizawl, Aug. 8: The Mizo Students Union has accused the Mizoram government of violating the rules of the higher and technical education department in filling up two new state quotas for MBBS seats.

Addressing a press conference today at the Press Club here, the organisation?s president Buansanga said the state government had ignored the rules by allocating a seat at a New Delhi college to Evelyn Lalremsiami Hmar, who was 142nd in the merit list for procuring an MBBS seat in the state quota.

Mizoram has a quota of 29 MBBS seats in medical colleges all over the country. The state higher and technical education department had compiled a merit list of candidates eligible for the quota from Class XII students. The seats were duly filled up according to the list.

However, former legislator H. Laltanpuia had approached chief minister Zoramthanga to help him procure a seat for his daughter Evelyn. Zoramthanga then approached DoNER minister P.R. Kyndiah and Union health minister A. Ramadoss on the ex-MLA?s behalf. Former Union health minister Dr C. Silvera wrote to the Union health minister regarding this.

The Centre then allocated two more MBBS seats for Mizoram, one in Patna and another in New Delhi, from the central pool. The Centre had first given Evelyn a seat at Patna, which Laltanpuia declined. He then tried for a seat at New Delhi, which was eventually granted While Evelyn was given the additional seat Delhi, a candidate next on the merit list was sent to Patna.

NEC plan: The Centre has given top priority to development of the food processing industry in the Northeast.

Planning commission officials said this at the sectoral meeting of the NEC in Shillong on Monday.