TN Assembly clears Bill to scrap NEET, BJP stages walkout

Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a bill to eliminate NEET-UG and give admission to medical courses based on class XII marks after a medical aspirant's suicide echoed in the state assembly today.

Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed the bill to scrap the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) and provide admission on the basis of class XII marks to ensure social justice. On Sunday, before the NEET-UG 2021 exam, a 19-year old aspirant allegedly committed suicide in Tamil Nadu.

After the suicide incident, state Chief Minister MK Stalin had promised to bring the bill to the assembly today. He tweeted, “Another death at the altar of NEET…Tomorrow we will bring a permanent exemption bill for NEET. Let us take NEET as an issue of the Indian subcontinent."

Today, the state government tabled a bill in the state assembly to permanently eliminate NEET-UG from the state for medical courses admissions. The government said it is to protect the vulnerable student communities. All parties including main opposition Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and its ally Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Congress supported the bill. However, the opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a walkout to protest against the bill.

The state government had undertaken a detailed study on the impact of NEET and how it adversely affected the candidates from weaker sections of society. The committee led by a former Madras High Court judge had submitted his report to the state government which suggested that NEET favours the affluent students. As per the report, the majority of seats get occupied by these students and poor students hardly get any seats.

The government also opines that the affluent students mostly prefer pursuing higher courses from abroad rather than opting to serve in the rural areas which can lead to a further shortage of doctors in the rural areas of the state.

Read more:

• Tamil Nadu moves bill seeking exemption from NEET; MBBS admission on class 12 marks
• TN to bring Legislation for NEET exemption; Boy dies by suicide before NEET-UG 2021