NEET issue: Centre to hold strategy meeting with state Health Ministers today

The apex court had ruled that from this academic session, students would have to appear for the NEET to seek admission to any medical or dental colleges in the country.

New Delhi: With several parliamentarians opposed to the common medical entrance test, the Centre has decided to hold consultations with state Health Ministers on Monday to formulate a strategy regarding the issue.

In a tweet, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said he is looking forward to the meeting today and expressed hope to find a solution to address the concerns of lakhs of medical aspirants and their parents.

The Supreme Court had ruled that starting this academic session, students would have to appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to seek admission to any medical or dental colleges in the country.

Earlier this week, the apex court also turned down a batch of appeals by states seeking to conduct their own medical admission tests and ruled that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies.

Following the apex court's ruling, opposition parties have raised concerns that students passing out from state boards in vernacular languages and living in remote areas may not be able to perform well in common entrance exam despite being competitive.

Several MPs have demanded the government to bring forth an ordinance to stall the NEET for the current academic session.