Stalin will table a bill seeking exemption from NEET exams in Tamil Nadu

• MK Stalin to introduce a bill in the state assembly seeking permanent exemption from NEET.
• The decision was taken after the news of a 19-year-old boy belonging to the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, who was to appear for the NEET exam, reported by news agency PTI committed suicide.
• The issue of NEET has been a politically sensitive one in the state of Tamil Nadu, which is among the more advanced states in India for healthcare as well as health education.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin announced that the government will introduce a bill in the state assembly seeking permanent exemption from National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) ⁠— a common nationwide entrance exam for medical colleges ⁠— in the state. The NEET exam for 2021 is scheduled between September 11 and 12.

He said in his tweet, that the legal battle against the entrance exam was just the beginning and promised to bring a bill against it . The NEET exam is conducted every year in more than 201 cities across the country for admission in undergraduate medical courses. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the party that Stalin represents, had promised to abolish NEET ahead of the state elections that took place earlier this year.


The decision was taken after the news of a 19-year-old boy belonging to the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, who was to appear for the NEET exam, reported by news agency PTI committed suicide. The medical aspirant was the son of a farm labourer who was found dead in his room a couple of hours before the exam. According to media reports, his parents were compelling him to appear for the exam for the third time.

The Supreme Court, on September 6, rejected the plea of several students and parents who demanded postponement or rescheduling of the exam as the dates clashed with other entrance exams. The top court said that it would be very unfair to reschedule and also did not want to interfere in the matter.

The issue of NEET has been a politically sensitive one in the state of Tamil Nadu, which is among the more advanced states in India for healthcare as well as health education. The argument against the common entrance exam for medical colleges is that it puts underprivileged students in remote parts at a disadvantage compared to others.

Tamil Nadu scrapped the NEET exam a decade ago but it was reintroduced in the year 2017 after a Supreme Court order.

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