CM Edappadi Palanisamy writes to Modi on NEET issue

He stated that Union Health Minister JP Nadda, had assured that NEET would not interfere with the reservation policy of individual states as the latter could provide additional marks for students from hilly, rural and tribal areas as in PG courses.

Based on this, the state issued the prospectus for PG medical and dental courses following NEETPG as the entrance exam and continuing the current practice of reserving 50 per cent seats of state quota in government seats for government candidates basing the preferential marking system followed earlier.

But, the Medical Council of India’s PG medical education regulations 2000 failed to include the assurances provided and Clause 9 of the regulations states candidates will be admitted to the PG courses based on a state wise merit list founded on marks obtained in NEET. This, in turn, prevented TN from implementing its admission policy for state quota seats in PG courses based on NEET- PG. This, the CM said, would affect the quality of health care in rural areas.