TN will continue to fight against NEET: Ma Su

Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s appeal for exemption from NEET-based medical and dental admissions continues to remain alive and the state is confident it will be able to succeed just like how it won the case over jallikattu in the Supreme Court, health minister Ma Subramanian said.

Meanwhile, the state will continue to train students to write the national entrance, support them with mental health counselling and ensure it does not give up its rights in the process of admissions. “I will be visiting the union health ministers of health and family welfare and AYUSH soon,” Subramanian said, announcing that the state will start counselling for students who have attempted NEET-2023.

The state surrenders 15 per cent of seats in government medical colleges to the Centre for All India Quota. Students from across the country apply for these seats and the admission is done by the medical counselling committee under the directorate general of health services. Until this year, the admission for the remaining 85 per cent of seats and to all seats in self-financing medical colleges under the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University was carried out by the state selection committee based on merit in NEET and 69 per cent rule of reservation to save time. “This year, the centre says 100 per cent of the admissions will be done by the centre following rules of respective state governments. We will oppose this as admission to government and affiliated colleges is our right,” he said. The state will also push for legal exclusion from NEET, he added.