2 min readNew DelhiAug 7, 2026 12:39 PM IST
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued revised guidelines for the assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) candidates ahead of NEET UG Counselling 2026. The addendum modifies certain provisions of the disability assessment framework notified on July 27 to align them with directions issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The revised guidelines update provisions related to benchmark disability certification and assessment, which will now be followed by designated disability assessment boards during the counselling process. The changes are aimed at ensuring uniform implementation of disability evaluation norms for candidates seeking admission under the PwBD quota.
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The clarification comes amid media reports claiming that a notice postponing the Round 1 choice filling process had briefly appeared on the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) website. While the reported notice suggested a change in the counselling timeline, no such notification is currently available on the official portal, and the MCC has not issued any official confirmation of a revised schedule.
Meanwhile, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has issued a separate advisory for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) candidates applying under the NRI quota. The committee said such candidates must first complete document verification through the MCC’s NRI Document Verification Team to establish their eligibility.
Only after successful verification will they be able to view both NRI quota and unreserved (UR) seats during the choice filling process. MCC has also asked OCI and NRI candidates to select “Yes” against the option “Whether you want to apply for NRI Quota seats” during registration and complete the verification process well in advance to avoid inconvenience during choice filling.
This year’s NEET UG counselling introduces several significant changes aimed at making the admission process more transparent and candidate-friendly. The biggest update is that candidates opting for seat upgradation in subsequent rounds will no longer be required to physically report to their allotted college after Round 1, reducing unnecessary travel and administrative burden. MCC also enabled online resignation of seats through the counselling portal, replacing the earlier offline process.