Coaching centres earned Rs 12,000 crore from students who appeared in NEET exams, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva claimed in Rajya Sabha on Monday as he demanded early assent of the President to the two bills passed by Tamil Nadu Assembly exempting the state from NEET test.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed two Bills unanimously to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET Examination,”
He said the Bill sent for Presidential assent is pending with Ministry of Home and Health.
“This is a very bad situation. It is a federal set up. If the State Legislative Assembly has passed a Resolution or a Bill or taken a decision, it has to be regarded.
Underestimating or disregarding the decision of the State Assembly accounts for not giving importance to the federal structure,” he added.
Raising the issue through a special mention, Siva said the NEET examination has “not given the desired results” and it has deprived rural students and the students who are coming from a very poor economic background.
Thirteen lakh students have appeared for the NEET Examination and around six lakh students have passed and all those who have passed the examination have gone to the coaching centres, Siva claimed.
“They have passed with the help of these coaching centres. Every student is paying around Rs two lakh (for coaching). The amount of Rs 12,000 crore is being earned by these coaching centres for these classes.
The students who were not able to go to the coaching centres did not pass the examination. In spite of scoring good marks in the 10+2 examinations, they were not able to pass the NEET Examination,” he said.
Pointing out that meritious five students who could not clear NEET have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu this year, Siva also said that the NEET does not ensure a quality standard because all the reputed doctors in the world have not passed their medical examinations through this NEET Examination.
“So, considering all these situations, the feelings, the sentiments and the background of these students TN assembly resolution on NEET exam in Tamilnadu to be exempted to be given President assent .
Similar demand also been stressed by DMK Loksabha MP T.R.Balu inside Loksabha .
It is to be noted At least six students have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu over NEET in the last two years. Tamil Nadu had banned NEET for nine years.
However, the BJP-led government at the centre has refused to renew the exemption.
The back-to-back suicides of students have also prompted students organisations to call for protests across the state demanding that the AIADMK government seek exemption from the medical test.
Earlier DMK chief MK Stalin said his party’s lawmakers would take up the issue in parliament. The Congress and the Left in Tamil Nadu too have backed the DMK’s demand of scrapping the exam in the state. It is to be noted DMK in its party manifesto has promised that it will remove NEET in Tamilnadu and congress also supported DMK claim and agreed NEET will be made optional for states in its Election 2019 Manifesto .