NEET: TN To Convene Special Assembly Session To Pass Another Bill Seeking Exemption From Exam

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday decided to convene a special session of legislative assembly to pass another bill to dispense with NEET-based admissions to undergraduate medical degree courses. The government will clear the NEET Exemption Bill in the state assembly and send it to Governor RN Ravi again. The decision was taken after a multi-party meeting was chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the Secretariat.Also Read – NEET PG 2022 Postponement: Supreme Court To Hear Plea For Postponing Exam Dates, Internship Deadline

Earlier, Governor Ravi had returned the bill stating that the it is “against interests of the students, specially the rural and economically poor students of the state”, according to a statement from Raj Bhavan issued on Thursday. The state government had cited the same reason — that NEET was against the poor, among others — while formulating the Bill. Also Read – Tamil Nadu Guv Returns NEET Exemption Bill to Assembly, Says Bill Against Interests of Students

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, was sent back to Speaker M Appavu on Tuesday, “giving detailed reasons, for its reconsideration by the House”, the Raj Bhavan stated. Also Read – Will NEET PG 2022 Be Postponed? SC Likely To Hear Plea on Medical Entrance Test Tomorrow

It said the decision came after a detailed study of the Bill for admission to undergraduate (UG) medical courses seeking exemption from NEET for the state, as well as a report of the high-level committee formed by the state government.

Stalin has been consulting with all parties on the next phase of action since the Governor sent back the NEET Exemption Bill stating that it’s against the interest of the students.

He said “I met Governor over NEET exam issue. I called an all-party meeting earlier and a resolution was passed for exemption. I appealed to the Prime Minister in a virtual meeting when he opened 11 new medical colleges. Now Guv, after keeping our Bill on his desk for 143 days, sent it back.” He also said “You (parties) have been invited for the meeting at an extraordinary situation.” He further asked to discuss future courses of action on the NEET issue.

Why the Bill was introduced

1. The Bill sought to provide admission to medical courses on the basis of marks in Class XII Board examination, a system followed in Tamil Nadu before the implementation of NEET in 2017.
2. The Bill stated that medical courses were traceable to entry 25 of List III, Schedule VII of the Constitution, thereby making the state government a competent authority to regulate admissions for the underprivileged social groups, according to a report published in Indian Express.
3. The Bill was passed by the state Assembly in September 2021. Almost all parties in the state had supported it, including main opposition AIADMK, with BJP being the only party to stage a walkout during its introduction in the House.