Question : Practice of admitting students based on NEET

(a) whether the Government is aware that as per the A.K Rajan Committee Report, the practice of admitting students based on NEET has led to a decline in students belonging to the weaker socio-economic backgrounds in MBBS courses across the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether any measures have been undertaken to make the NEET exam more accessible for the poor and marginalised classes;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) if not, reasons therefor; and

(e) whether several States including Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra had opposed the implementation of NEET and if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (e): Section 14 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019 mandates for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to be conducted as a common/ uniform entrance test for admission to the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all medical institutions in the country. NEET is a historic reform promoting meritocracy and providing opportunity to meritorious students to get admission in the best medical institutions in the country. It has resulted in curbing malpractices in medical admission, greater transparency and reducing the burden on prospective students of appearing in multiple entrance exams.
NEET is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). To help the students to practice well for NEET (UG) exam, NTA has launched a Mobile App ‘National Test Abhyas'' to facilitate candidates'' access to high quality mock tests online, free of cost. The syllabus of NEET (UG) is based on the syllabi of all the State Boards and National Boards. Question Papers are prepared taking the help of the State level Experts. Further, to enable the candidates from State Boards and rural areas to understand the questions properly, the Question Paper for NEET (UG) 2021 was set in different languages.
*****