Patiala, June 21 -- Amid widespread unrest over a recent hike in tuition fees and the introduction of a controversial bond policy, the Medical Student Association (MSA), Punjab, met with medical education minister Dr Balbir Singh at Government Medical College, Amritsar, on Friday to register their protest. The student delegation submitted a memorandum demanding immediate withdrawal of the corrigendum issued by the Punjab government on June 13, 2025. The corrigendum, which implements a 5% annual fee increase and formalises a compulsory service bond, has triggered protests across the state's medical institutions. "With fees soaring to Rs.2.49 lakh annually for government quota students and Rs.14.94 lakh for private management quota, we are left to survive on a Rs.15,000 stipend - the lowest in the region," said Dr Archit Bawa of the MSA. Calling the policy "insensitive and unjust," students argued it would make medical education inaccessible for students from low-income families. Despite 474 students from government schools clearing NEET-UG this year, financial hurdles now threaten their future. A student from Bathinda's meritorious school who scored 564 marks, and another from Abohar who scored 493, are both eligible for government seats but may not be able to join due to the steep costs. Their fathers work as a tailor and a daily wage labourer, respectively. According to the revised structure, a student would need to spend nearly Rs.10 lakh over the course of an MBBS degree in a government college. When hostel and mess charges are included, the total climbs to Rs.13-14 lakh. In contrast, tuition fees in neighbouring states is around Rs.3.19 lakh in Himachal Pradesh and Rs.4.5 lakh in Haryana for government colleges. An official defended the move, calling the 5% hike a "routine annual revision" initiated during the previous government's tenure in 2020. Responding to the protests, Dr Balbir Singh assured the students that their concerns would be taken into consideration....