President ‘satisfied’ with NEET ordinance

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23 

Union Health Minister JP Nadda met President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of the central government’s ordinance exempting states from holding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduate medical and dental admissions (NEET-UG) this year. 

President Pranab Mukherjee is satisfied with Health Minister JP Nadda's explanation for urgency behind the ordinance, sources said on Monday. 

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The President wanted some points clarified before he signed the ordinance. 

The ordinance amending the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, which governs MBBS and BDS admissions, says that NEET will be universal from 2017-18 for both undergraduate and postgraduate admissions. A year’s relaxation was being granted only to state governments in order to address their concerns over variance in CBSE and state board syllabi, and difference in the language in which the central test is held.

Over 14 states had recently sought time from Health Minister JP Nadda for the switch to a central test. 

The development, however, doesn’t have any bearing on NEET-UG phase 2, which will be held as directed by the Supreme Court in its May 9 order. Although CBSE had fixed July 24 for NEET-UG phase 2, the date may be slightly postponed in the light of the new developments.