Anti NEET Bill: Centre seeks clarity from TN

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha was informed that the Union Home Ministry has requested explanations from the Tamil Nadu government regarding a bill that sought to exempt the students of the southern state from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

In medical and dental institutes all over India, the NEET is the standard entrance exam for MBBS and BDS programmes. Conducted by the National Testing Agency, Tamil Nadu administration wants to exempt the state's pupils from the country wide entrance test.

The state has proposed that students' Class 12 grades be used to determine their admission to medical colleges. The governor of Tamil Nadu reserved a bill titled "The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021" for the home ministry's consideration and assent on May 2, 2022, said Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra.

“The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of AYUSH furnished their 'comments' on the bill which have been shared with the government of Tamil Nadu on June 21, 2022 and June 27, 2022, respectively for their comments and clarifications,” he said replying to a written question in Lok Sabha.

The approval process in such cases cannot have a set deadline because the consultation process requires time, said Ajay Kumar Mishra. The NEET exemption law was passed by the Tamil Nadu government for a second time in February after being returned by the governor the previous year. The bill was initially passed in September 2021 and aimed to exclude the state from the NEET's purview.