Stalin moves bill seeking permanent exemption from NEET amid oppn walkout | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Stalin moves bill seeking permanent exemption from NEET amid oppn walkout

By | Written by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi
Sep 13, 2021 11:42 AM IST

Stalin introduced the NEET bill in Tamil Nadu assembly as the opposition staged a walk out in protest but said they will support the resolution.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday tabled a bill in the assembly, seeking a permanent exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), for the state as the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)  staged a walkout. “Today, I have presented the resolution against NEET. You (AIADMK) also brought this resolution. I urge opposition parties to extend their support to this resolution,” Stalin said in the assembly as he moved the bill, according to news agency ANI.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also sought the support of opposition parties for the NEET bill. (File Photo)
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also sought the support of opposition parties for the NEET bill. (File Photo)

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that students and their parents were totally confused whether the NEET exam will be held in Tamil Nadu, adding that they were not given the opportunity to discuss a medical aspirant’s death in the assembly. “There is no clear stand taken by the DMK government on NEET,” Palaniswami said, according to news agency ANI as he held the government responsible for the 19-year-old student’s death. “Students didn't prepare well for the exam as DMK-government said that NEET will be scrapped. We have decided to walk out in protest. We will support NEET resolution,” the former Tamil Nadu CM said.

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Also read | Tamil Nadu student’s suicide ahead of NEET sparks political row

The medical aspirant was found dead on Sunday at his home in Salem hours before he was to appear for the NEET exam for the third time. 

The bill seeks to provide for admission to undergraduate courses in medicine, dentistry, Indian medicine and homoeopathy based on the marks obtained by students in the qualifying examination (Class 12). The bill said the government has decided to enact a law to dispense with the requirement of NEET for admission to UG Medical degree courses and to provide admission to such courses on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination, through “normalisation methods”, according to news agency PTI.

This is to ensure "social justice, uphold equality and equal opportunity, protect all vulnerable student communities from being discriminated and bring them to the mainstream of medical and dental education and in turn to ensure a robust public health care across the state particularly the rural areas,” reported PTI.

On his part, Stalin reminded that NEET was conducted for the first time in Tamil Nadu when Palaniswami was the chief minister and it was not held even when late J Jayalalithaa was the CM. He also talked about student deaths, including that of S Anita, in recent years, saying all of them happened when Palaniswami was the CM. Stalin also targeted the AIADMK over therejection of bills enacted during its regime in 2017 to get the state exempted from the ambit of NEET and also for hiding it from the House.

(With agency inputs)

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