NEET is curbing the opportunities for students of state boards, Nana Patole claimed (File)
Maharashtra government should exempt students aspiring to become doctors from the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) on the lines of Tamil Nadu, the state Congress said Tuesday.
NEET favours students who pass Class 12 from central board schools, claimed Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole. Congress is part of the ruling alliance in the state.
"Students from CBSE and similar (central) boards are increasingly cracking NEET (in higher numbers) than those from the state board. Exam papers are getting leaked and cases of dummy students appearing for the exam have come to light," he told reporters.
"The Maharashtra government should take a decision about NEET on the lines of Tamil Nadu," Mr Patole added.
Tamil Nadu Assembly on September 13 passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill which seeks to stop medical admissions on the basis of marks obtained in NEET.
Nana Patole claimed that before NEET was introduced, 71.73% of the students who got admission to medical colleges in Tamil Nadu were from the state board while the percentage of CBSE students was only 0.13.
But in 2020-21 the percentage of CBSE students rose to 26.83 while that of Tamil Nadu state board students fell to 48.22, he added.
“It is not just a case of injustice but also of inequality. NEET is curbing the opportunities for students of state boards, many of whom are from economically weaker sections," the Congress leader said.
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