Karnataka Assembly passes resolution to abolish NEET

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly, where Congress has the majority, passed a resolution Thursday seeking abolition of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and allow the state to fill up medical schools through its own Common Entrance Test (CET).

Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil moved the resolution even as the Opposition BJP was in the well of the House demanding a discussion on the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam to which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is linked.

“The NEET examination system, which severely affects the medical education opportunities of poor rural students, makes schooling redundant and deprives the rights of the state governments to admit students in state government medical colleges, should be abolished,” the resolution stated.

The resolution further urged the union government to “immediately” exempt Karnataka from NEET and “to provide medical admissions based on the CET marks conducted by the state government”.

The government, through the resolution, advocated for CET “considering repeated irregularities in the NEET examinations”. The resolution asked the union government to amend the National Medical Commission Act “so that the NEET system is given up at the national level”.

Speaking to reporters later, Patil said Karnataka has “a good track record” of conducting the CET with transparency.

“When NEET came, we welcomed it thinking it'd be transparent and students will not have to take multiple exams,” Patil, a trained dermatologist, said, adding that NEET came by through a Supreme Court judgement and an Act of Parliament.

“But now, we have lost faith in NEET after the union government demonstrated its inability to conduct the exam in a transparent manner, which put the future of 24 lakh students in panic,” Patil said. “Since the Centre has lost the competence to conduct NEET, they should give up gracefully.”

Patil said all Indian states, especially those in the south, are against NEET. “The South Indian states have an unanimous opinion. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has already taken a stand. There’s information that Telangana too will do it,” he said.

Asked about the prospects of rural students, Patil said: “Most of them take seats in our state. Very few go to other states. The Centre can hold an exam for the all-India quota like it used to earlier.”