Bengaluru: On Thursday, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka passed a resolution in both houses of the legislature to abolish the all-India medical exam NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test). With this move, Karnataka becomes the third state to pass a resolution against NEET, following Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The resolution highlights serious irregularities in the NEET exam and calls on the Union Government to exempt Karnataka from NEET, advocating a return to the previous Common Entrance Test (CET) system for medical college admissions in the state.
“The NEET examination which severely affects the medical education opportunities of poor rural students, makes schooling redundant and deprives the right of the State Governments to admit students in State Government Medical colleges, should be abolished,” the resolution said.
ALSO READ: Six Bills passed in Karnataka Assembly without discussion amidst din
Former minister CN Ashwath Narayan criticised the Congress for what he termed political opportunism, asserting that the party is opposing it for political reasons. He added that NEET was intended to create uniformity among students from various backgrounds and regions.
State Minister of Medical Education and Skill Development Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil moved the resolution in the legislative assembly, while Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar presented it in the legislative council. Earlier, Shivakumar had expressed concerns about NEET, noting that while Karnataka has built its medical colleges, the NEET exam is predominantly benefitting North Indian students and depriving local students. “We all have to unitedly fight against this,” he said.
In addition to scrapping NEET, the Karnataka Assembly also passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s “One Nation, One Election” proposal.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Nov 26: A newborn baby boy was allegedly kidnapped from Kalaburagi district hospital by two women disguised as hospital staff, police said on Tuesday.