With an aim to defer National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students for another year, the Centre is likely to approach the Cabinet on Wednesday bringing in an ordinance to make cha
With an aim to defer National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students for another year, the Centre is likely to approach the Cabinet on Wednesday bringing in an ordinance to make changes in the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act for postponement of the single entrance test.
The NEET was earlier introduced by the way of regulation made by the Medical Council of India (MCI) under section 33 of IMC Act. Since the central government doesn’t have powers to issue directions to the MCI, the health ministry is expected to approach the cabinet for making changes in the Act to overcome the issue of deferring NEET for another year.
Sources claimed that decision was taken after an all-party meeting was held under the chairmanship of finance minister Arun Jaitley late on Monday evening. Other than Union health minister J.P. Nadda, the meeting was attended by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra, Anupriya Patel from Apna Dal, Dilip Tirki of the BJD, Ratna Dey Nag of the AITC and senior advocate K.T.S. Tulsi, among various health ministry officials.
Strangely, even as the government harped on a high-profile meeting late on Monday over the postponement of the NEET, the most important stakeholders-the students and the parents were missing from the discussion. To share their side of the story they took it to various social media platforms like Twitter and lashed out at the government, favouring NEET.
One Diya said, “most of the PMTs have already been canceleed. How can a decision be changed based in the vested interests of politicians”. Some even said that they had joined crash courses too, keeping in view the SC’s ruling on NEET.
Eye brows are also raised within the government on the “sudden” health ministers’ meet on Monday and then an “urgent” all party meet on the same day over the issue. Many blamed it on the pressure from private medical colleges lobby for the government to change their mind. The lobby includes atleast 100 private medical colleges that control over 10,000 medical seats under the NEET.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that starting this academic session, students would have to appear in NEET to seek admission to medical or dental colleges in the country.
