SPCSS-TN urges President to clear NEET exemption bill for TN

Madurai: The State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) has written an open letter to the President of India, urging the withdrawal of the decision to withhold assent to Tamil Nadu's NEET exemption bill and calling for the upholding of democratic and federal values.

The letter emphasized that the bill reflected the will of the people of Tamil Nadu, seeking admissions to undergraduate medical courses in government colleges and government quota seats in private colleges based on Class 12 board exam marks.

"The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed the TNLA Bill No. 43 of 2021 unanimously, with all 230 MLAs present voting in favour. The bill was drafted based on recommendations of a high-level committee formed for this purpose. What's best for the people of Tamil Nadu should be decided by them," said P B Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, SPCSS-TN.

The letter also pointed to repeated reports of malpractices in the NEET exam over the years. "In 2024, the National Testing Agency (NTA) itself awarded marks without authority due to delays in distributing question and answer papers. The re-exam was held only after the NTA admitted the error in the Supreme Court. While the NTA erred, students bore the consequences," Babu said.

The organisation argued that NEET had failed to uphold merit and had not curbed the commercialisation of medical education. SPCSS-TN urged the President to advise the Union council of ministers to respect the state's legislative mandate, uphold the Constitution and federal principles, and grant assent to the NEET exemption bill.

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