Open NEET training centres for benefit of poor, rural students in Tamil Nadu: BJP MLA

Coimbatore: With Governor RN Ravi returning the bill seeking exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET, the ruling DMK government should immediately open training centres for the benefit of rural students to clear the medical entrance examination, BJP MLA and All India Mahila Morcha President Vanathi Srinivasan said on Friday.

Welcoming the decision taken by the governor, Srinivasan in a statement said NEET itself was introduced following a Supreme Court verdict during the UPA government at the Centre in which the DMK was a constituent. Stating that NEET will help to put an end to the capitation fee and exorbitant fees collected by private colleges run by politicians and rich people for seats, she said this was the reason for the medical entrance exam being opposed in Tamil Nadu, which has a large number of private medical colleges.

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The necessity of a separate seat reservation policy was suggested by then Union Health Minister J P Nadda to the Tamil Nadu government for the benefit of rural and government school students, she said, adding that the AIADMK government at the time immediately acted on it and reserved 7.5 per cent for the purpose.

The previous dispensation took a decision in 2020 to reserve 7.5 per cent of undergraduate medical seats for government school students clearing the NEET exam. Earlier, only 20 to 30 students from government schools could take pursue medical courses but around 600 students are now taking admissions after introduction of the reservation policy without affecting social justice, the Coimbatore South MLA said.

The ones who were "really affected" by NEET were private medical colleges, particularly in Namakkal, Salem and Erode districts and that was why BJP opposed the NEET exemption bill when it was tabled in the state assembly, the MLA said. Without standing behind private colleges, the state government should accept the bill having been returned and open training centres for the benefit of rural and poor students, the BJP leader said.

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