Tamil Nadu: Two special bills to be introduced to exclude State from NEET

The Tamil Nadu Government in its effort to protect the economically backward student interests has decided to introduce two bills in the Legislative Assembly to exclude the state from the purview of the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for both under graduate and post graduate courses.

The DMK ,Working President, M K Stalin, on Saturday demanded that the state pass a bill to that effect in the current assembly session.

In a statement, he said the state should have the president’s prior consent for the bill and added that such a bill would help rural students in a big way.

"NEET will affect rural students who want to join MBBS or BDS. As early as 2013, the Supreme Court dismissed NEET stating that it was not needed for medical admission. Each and every state has different needs and students from all states cannot appear for a common all India test," said Stalin in a statement.

"Our government, between 2006 and 2011, under DMK chief M Karunanidhi, scrapped the entrance exams for MBBS as rural students were finding it tough to clear them," said Stalin.

The Bills to be introduced during the course of this session, are anticipated to find a smooth passage in the Assembly ,as all parties are together on the question of NEET elimination from the state reports the TOI.

Tamil Nadu has been opposing NEET on the grounds that it would severely affect the prospects of rural students as they could not afford coaching to compete for admission in medical colleges.

The state government had addressed the supreme court for the state being exempted from taking the test; however,last year, the Supreme Court announced its decision to make NEET mandatory all across the country/

Medical and dental seats in the state of Tamil Nadu are presently filled up on the basis of cumulative marks in class 12 examinations. Approximately 15 per cent of the seats were reserved for admission through the all India quota, among successful candidates in the All India Pre Medical and Pre Dental examination reported the Hindu.