In Delhi, Tamil Nadu Minister Seeks NEET Exemption, More Vaccine Doses

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and reiterated the demand for 1 crore doses of Covid vaccines.

The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Centre to exempt the state from granting admission to medical courses on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). State Health Minister Ma Subramanian met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Delhi today and requested him to allow Tamil Nadu government colleges to grant admission to undergraduate medical courses on the basis of marks scored by students in Class XII board exams. The minister said the all-India examination "deprives students from rural areas who do not have access to coaching institutions". The Tamil Nadu minister also cited the risks of holding the examination amid the pandemic and said it may turn out to be detrimental to the health and well-being of students. Earlier, Chief Minister M K Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to cancel NEET in view of the pandemic situation.