Stalin writes to CMs of 12 states, seeks support against NEET

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to the chief ministers of 12 states, mostly ruled by the opposition, seeking their support to reclaim the federal rights of states in administering the education sector and oppose the conduct of NEET.

The letter has been sent to the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Goa.

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Stalin in the letter, has urged his counterparts to ensure that students coming from rural backgrounds and marginalised sections of society do not struggle to get admission to higher educational institutions.

“Our considered position has always been that the move by the Union government to introduce NEET goes against the spirit of the federalism and violates the constitutional balance of power by curbing the rights of the state governments to decide on the method of admission in the medical institutions founded, established and run by them,” the letter read.

Stalin also attached a report by the AK Rajan Committee, which was appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to study the impact of NEET on the admission of students from socially backward backgrounds over a period of time.

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The committee was also urged to suggest alternative admission procedures which would benefit all students, the feasibility of the alternative methods and the legal steps to be undertaken to implement “such fair and equitable method.” The state government recently passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Act, 2021 based on the committee’s recommendation.