Puducherry government constitutes a nine-member Centac panel to conduct admissions for 2025-26
The government has constituted the Centralised Admission Committee (Centac) for conducting admissions to higher and technical education courses, including MBBS, for the 2025-26 academic cycle.
The government order appointing a nine-member committee to oversee admissions was notified recently following the approval of the Lieutenant Governor.
According to the order, the term of the Centralised Admission Committee shall ordinarily be up to the completion of the admission process for the year 2025-26. Notwithstanding this, the Centac shall continue till such time a new Committee is constituted, it stated.
The Centac is mandated with managing the admissions to the NEET-UG (Professional) /U.G. (Arts, Science and Commerce courses in Puducherry region only)/ U.G. (Fine Arts courses) / Diploma in Health Science courses in the Union Territory. It is also tasked with allotting seats earmarked to Puducherry quota by the Government of lndia in various government institutions all over India for the academic year 2025-26.
The Education Secretary is the Centac chairman, the Health Secretary the vice-chairman and CENTAC convenor is the member secretary.
The six officials to serve as members of Centac are the Director of Health, Director of Higher and Technical Education, Director of School Education, Joint//Deputy/Under Secretary of Health and Higher and Technical Education departments and the Centac coordinator (admissions).
Through a separate order, the government notified the appointment of Cheryl Ann Gerardine Shivan, principal of Kasthurba College for Women, Puducherry as Centac convenor. The head of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education will serve as Centac coordinator (admissions).
According to the G.O., Centac shall notify the lnformation Brochure - 2025-26 prescribing the eligibility criteria and procedures for admission of candidates to lateral entry, full-time/ part-time, postgraduate, undergraduate and diploma courses.
Centac will conduct counselling for the seats earmarked to the Union Territory of Puducherry by Government of lndia in various State institutions all over lndia and also for seats earmarked in institutions within Puducherry Union Territory. For the remaining courses, the admission authorities or the committee concerned shall admit students as per the guidelines specified therein as per relevant orders of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education on March 11, 2020.
The Centac chairman has been mandated to call heads of any college or subject experts to the Centac meetings as special invitees, on a need basis, the order said.
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