Edited by: Damini Solanki
Last updated time: 18 March 2023, 15:49 IST
Minister’s reply also reveals that there is no plan to conduct NEET UG twice a year (Representational Image)
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare (MS) Bharati Praveen Pawar gave a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) are not planning to conduct the National Eligibility Test for Undergraduates (NEET-UG) twice a year. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare (MS) Bharati Praveen Pawar gave a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. MP Ramesh Chand Bind raised several questions regarding the entrance exam, including whether the government is considering conducting NEET UG twice a year similar to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
Bind asked if NEET-UG is conducted twice a year “to save NEET aspirants from stress and depression to clear the tough competition in one attempt or lose one precious year”.
In his reply, the minister said that NEET, mandated by Section 14 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019, has reduced the burden on prospective students of “appearing for multiple entrance exams”. gives fair and equal opportunity to all candidates to get admission in medical courses across the country.
“NEET is a historic reform that promotes meritocracy and enables the best students to get into the best medical institutions in the country. This led to the prevention of violations of the law during medical admission [and] great transparency,” said the written response.
The Minister’s reply also makes it clear that there is no plan to conduct NEET UG twice a year. “The National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Testing Agency (NTA) have announced that there is no proposal to hold the NEET UG exams to give two chances in a year.”
Bind questioned the government about its plans to conduct JEE (Mains) and NEET-UG or other similar competitive exams through a single exam. This is not directly mentioned in the answer.
However, news agency PTI quoted University Grants Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar as saying that he would announce plans to merge CUET-UG with entrance exams like NEET and JEE at least two years before its implementation. This hints at the possibility of such a move in the future.
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