New Delhi- The Union Government has informed the Rajya Sabha that there is currently no proposal to merge or rationalise the governing bodies and standing committees of central autonomous medical institutes such as AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER, NIMHANS, RIMS, and NEIGRIHMS.The clarification came in response to an Question raised by MP Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha Also Read: 29,080 PG medical seats increased since 2020: MoS HealthReplying to the question regarding expenditure incurred by these institutes on meetings of their Standing Finance Committees, Governing Bodies and Purchase Committees over the last five financial years (2020-21 to 2024-25), Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated that these committees are constituted as per the provisions of the respective Acts, rules, regulations, memoranda of association, or by-laws under which the institutions are established.The Minister noted that the expenditure incurred for conducting such meetings varies depending on factors such as the frequency and venue of meetings and the attendance of membersHe further clarified that members of the Governing Body and the Standing Finance Committee are not entitled to any allowance or remuneration for attending meetings, except for travelling allowance (TA) and daily allowance (DA) as applicable.Addressing concerns about administrative costs, the government stated that there is no proposal to consolidate institute-specific governing bodies and standing committees into a single body, as each institution operates under its own statutory framework and governance structure.The response indicates that while expenses related to committee meetings exist, they are largely limited to travel and daily allowances and depend on the operational requirements of individual institutions.Medical Dailogues had recently reported that while addressing concerns about the high cost of NEET PG 2025 admissions and whether most vacant seats are in private medical colleges where fees run into crores and are unaffordable for many students, the Union Health Ministry informed Parliament that the fee structure for medical courses in government and private colleges varies across States and is decided by the respective State Fee Regulatory Authorities.Also Read: PG medical fees vary by state, 50 percent private seat fee guidelines subjudice: MoS Health tells Parliament