Tamil Nadu Ministers Meet Governor, Seek Nod For 7.5 Per Cent Medical Quota

A five-member ministerial delegation of the Tamil Nadu cabinet on Tuesday met Governor Banwarilal Purohit, seeking approval for a bill providing 7.5 per cent reservation on a preferential basis in medical admissions for state government school students who clear NEET.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly had on September 15 unanimously passed the bill to provide the said horizontal quota in medical admissions for state government school students who clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Today's meeting comes in the backdrop of various political parties, including the DMK and PMK, urging the Governor to give assent to the bill so that the quota can be implemented this year itself.

Senior Ministers K A Sengkottaiyan (School Education), D Jayakumar (Fisheries), K P Anbalagan (Higher Education), C Ve Shanmugam (Law) and C Vijaya Baskar (Health) met Purohit at the Raj Bhavan.

"Seeking approval (for the bill), on the Chief Minister's (K Palaniswami) direction, we ministers met the Governor, Jayakumar later told reporters.

When the bill is made into the law, it will enable many government school students to become doctors, he said, even as he hinted that the ensuing counselling for medical admissions can be held only if the reservation is implemented.

Tamil Nadu was a land of social justice, ensured during the rule of former AIADMK chief ministers, the late M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, and the present quota move was another attempt in that direction, he added.

The Governor has been apprised of the situation in the state and that his assent for the bill will benefit students.

"We requested for his approval as counselling is due soon...he said he will announce a good decision...he gave a patient hearing," the Minister added.

Asked if there was any "delay" on the part of the Governor to give his nod, Jayakumar said the matter was under his consideration and that "he cannot be compelled."

The Minister said "we are hopeful" of a positive decision on the matter.

The reservation would be available for undergraduate programmes in medicine, dentistry, Indian medicine and homeopathy but would not apply to seats reserved for all-India quota.

Students who studied in government schools shall also be entitled to compete for the government seats, other than those set apart on preferential basis, along with those who studied in private schools, according to the legislation.

Those students, who studied from the sixth standard to Higher Secondary in government schools, including those run by local bodies, and have qualified the NEET, would benefit from the legislation.