Telangana can skip NEET

Hyderabad, New delhi: Nearly 6.5 lakh students have already taken the medical entrance test in the first phase of Neet, held on May 1.

Once the ordinance is issued, students of state government boards will not have to sit for Neet on July 24. They, however, will have to become part of the uniform entrance exam from next academic session, government sources clarified.

The exam will be applicable for those applying for central government and private medical colleges.

Telangana State health minister C. Laxma Reddy said that the Telangana state government would have to conduct Eamcet again for admissions to medical and dental colleges. He asked aspirants to start preparing for the exam.

The Telangana State  government had conducted Eamcet-2016 on May 15 to select students for a host of non-medical and dental courses; it had stated that the test was not to select students for medical and dental courses in view of the Supreme Court judgment making Neet mandatory.

The Andhra Pradesh government meanwhile is making arrangements to release results of the medical entrance exam on Saturday.

The test was held on April 29. The results were earlier to be released on May 9 but were kept on hold in view of the Supreme Court judgment on May 9 turning down a clutch of petitions seeking postponement of Neet at the time of holding the examination.

AP ministers said that lakhs of students and their parents were relieved with the Centre’s decision. Health minister Kamineni Srinivas thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Union ministers Venkaiah Naidu and J.P. Nadda for intervening and taking note of the concerns of all states.

“As per directions of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the administration held a series of confabulations and was successful in expressing concerns of all the stakeholders if Neet came into effect from this year itself,” he said.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu will be releasing the results of the medical stream at 11 am in Vijayawada on Saturday.

Neet: The backstory
Dec 21, 2010: The Neet notifications were presented after the necessity of a CET was deliberated. The test was initially proposed to take place from 2012.

May 5, 2013: First Neet was held in a bid to reduce the psy burden on students, who would otherwise have to appear for several examinations across the country.

July 18, 2013: SC declares the test unconstitutional, on the grounds of the objections from institutions and state governments including Andhra Pradesh

Oct 23, 2013: A review petition challenging the judgment was filed by the MCI; Supreme Court issues notice.

April 11, 2016: Apex court recalls its controversial judgement scrapping the single common entrance test for admission to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges, delivered by then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir on the day of his retirement.