Chennai sources stated that HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has ruled out the possibility of exempting Tamilnadu from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and said the test would be conducted in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court. The Union Minister said “At present, all states have accepted NEET. We cannot exempt just one state from the exam”.
Reportedly he clarified “NEET is the decision of the Supreme Court. We as HRD are only national testing agency organizing the examination. But the exam papers are set by the health ministry and the Indian Medical Council”. Presently admissions are being made on merit and therefore students can take admission in government and private institutions also”. Meanwhile on the private institutions charging hefty fee, he said, the Centre wanted to ‘curb’ this menace. “
Moreover NEET has been an emotive issue in Tamilnadu and the BJP’s ally in Tamilnadu the ruling AIADMK, and the opposition DMK, as well, have assured changes regarding the exam in their respective election manifestos. Apparently the AIADMK took a softer stance saying it would aim to ensure temporary exemption from the exam for the State, the DMK has promised to abolish NEET as it was discriminatory against students; and take measures to substitute it with a state level examination of equivalent standard, approved by the competent authority for admission to medical colleges in that state.
