Scrap NEET for Tamil Nadu, CM MK Stalin urges PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin urged the union government to exempt the state from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). He made his demand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of 11 government medical colleges on Wednesday in virtual mode.

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“The admission policy of Tamil Nadu plays a very important role in our health infrastructure. It is to protect this, we have been continuously demanding NEET exemption for Tamil Nadu. I appeal to the Union Government to consider our request favourably,” CM Stalin said.

He also requested to expedite the construction process of Madurai AIIMS and asked the union health minister Manshukh Mandviya to set up an AIIMS hospital in Coimbatore.

MK Stalin on January 6 announced all-party meeting to discuss the next course of action on the state's demand for exemption from NEET. Recalling the unanimous Assembly bill passed in the House in September against NEET, Stalin said based on the decisions to be taken in the Saturday all-party meeting, "our struggle against NEET and for social justice will continue."

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He reiterated NEET was against the interests of the rural students and charged the Centre, through the entrance test had "snatched away" states' rights to decide on how it will conduct its medical admissions, with the state keen to do so only based on Class 12 marks.

தமிழ்நாட்டின் மருத்துவக் கட்டமைப்புக்கு அடித்தளமாக விளங்கும் மாணவர் சேர்க்கை முறையினைக் காக்க #NEET விலக்கு அளிக்குமாறு பிரதமரை வலியுறுத்தினேன்.

மதுரை #AIIMS பணியினை விரைவுபடுத்துமாறும்; கோவையிலும் எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமைக்கவும் @mansukhmandviya அவர்களிடம் கோரினேன். pic.twitter.com/bHEC8BWzLJ

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) January 12, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated 11 government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu. He also opened the new building of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT). The new medical colleges have come up at Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Ramanathapuram and Krishnagiri districts in the state and would have a cumulative capacity of 1,450 medical seats.

The new colleges have been set up under the centrally-sponsored scheme of establishing new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospital. Over 1.5 crore people in these districts and adjoining areas would benefit from the new initiative.

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Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai claimed that NEET, for admitting students to medical colleges, is not against social justice but is only targeted against those private medical colleges demanding hefty capitation for admitting students.

Accusing certain political parties of attempting to create an impression that the screening test was against the interests of the poor and downtrodden, Annamalai said, on the contrary, it has fulfilled the aspirations of many students in pursuing their ambition.

(With inputs from PTI)