Persons with Benchmark Disability (PWD) hoping to secure a medical seat in Tamil Nadu this year have been told not to wait for a technical bottleneck to sort itself out. In a notice dated July 20, the state’s Selection Committee, operating under the Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DME&R) in Kilpauk, has directed all PWD-category candidates to submit their counselling applications by July 23, 5 PM – regardless of whether the central portal used to certify their disability status is working yet.
The notice, numbered 007/SCS1(1)/2026, points to a gap in the admission machinery this year: the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have not activated the system through which Regional Medical Boards and Designated Disability Centres assess a candidate’s functional ability. That system is a prerequisite for issuing the PWD certificates candidates typically need during counselling.
Apply now, certify later
Rather than let the delay hold up applications, Tamil Nadu’s Selection Committee has told candidates to go ahead and apply with whatever documents they currently have. The certification step itself will follow once DGHS switches the assessment process on – at which point Regional Medical Boards and Designated Disability Centres will begin issuing PWD certificates, and the state will open a separate mechanism for candidates to upload them.
In effect, the state has decoupled two steps that would normally happen together: applying for counselling, and proving disability status for reserved-category consideration. Candidates are being asked to complete the first step now and the second later, once the central government’s systems catch up.
Why it matters
For a category of candidates who already navigate additional documentation requirements, a portal delay at the national level creates real risk of missed deadlines if states don’t intervene. Tamil Nadu’s notice is essentially a stopgap – it keeps affected candidates in the counselling pipeline rather than penalising them for a delay that isn’t theirs to control.
Candidates are advised to track the DME&R Tamil Nadu counselling website for further updates on when the MCC/DGHS portal opens and when the certificate-upload window becomes active.
At a glance
- Notice No: 007/SCS1(1)/2026, dated July 20, 2026
- Issued by: Selection Committee, DME&R, Kilpauk, Chennai
- Applies to: PWD-category candidates, 2026-27 medical counselling
- Deadline: July 23, 2026, 5:00 PM
- Reason for the notice: MCC/DGHS disability-assessment portal not yet functional
