Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is set to abolish the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students within the state, following recent controversies over paper leaks. On Monday, the cabinet approved a proposal to replace NEET with a state-level entrance exam, with a resolution expected to pass in both houses during the ongoing legislative session.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar highlighted the need for this change, arguing that the current NEET system disproportionately benefits students from North India. “The NEET exam must be scrapped immediately, and the Union government must allow states to conduct their own exams. Karnataka has built colleges, but NEET benefits North Indian students and deprives our own. We must unite to fight against this,” Shivakumar stated.
This move mirrors Tamil Nadu’s recent decision to abolish the NEET examination and revert to state-based admissions using Class 12 marks. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin emphasized that NEET adversely affects students from rural areas, making medical education less accessible to the underprivileged.
In June, Tamil Nadu passed a resolution stating, “NEET affects the opportunities of students from rural areas in accessing medical education and snatches the rights of state governments to admit students in medical colleges. The Union Government should approve the bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly seeking exemption for the state.”
In addition to the NEET decision, the Karnataka cabinet has proposed the establishment of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which would assume financial control over Bengaluru from the current Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The restructuring plan for Bengaluru has been long pending. Another significant resolution opposing the ‘one nation, one election’ concept will also be presented during the assembly session. These critical resolutions are expected to be tabled on Tuesday or Wednesday.
