Clarifying that it is not mandatory for students to pay the bank guarantee at the time of admissions, the Dean of Goa Medical College and Hospital Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Thursday said the decision to impose the bank guarantee ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for the students undergoing undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses in the state’s premier medical institute is that of the government and not GMC administration. “Bank guarantee is not our decision, it is decided by the government. We are only the implementing authority. The bond is signed between the student and the government,” Dr Bandekar clarified to the Goa Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (GPYCC) members who met him in his office at GMC complex in Bambolim seeking clarification on the issue. Bandekar informed that he has written to the director of technical education urging it to accept admissions to the different courses in GMC without the bank guarantee as it was not a compulsion as per the order issued by the Health Department. “At the time of admission to MBBS and AHS courses only the bond agreement is required to be submitted for which the format will be given at GMC. You are requested to notify the same in your prospectus and also announcements are to be made during admission rounds,” reads the letter written by the Dean of GMC to the DTE. He clarified that the bank guarantee is to be submitted while availing of temporary relief from bond service for pursuing higher studies.