Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill mandating the conduct of a single common exam for medical and dental courses. The new measure will also cover private colleges.
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, provides Constitutional status to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination, which will be introduced from the next academic session.
The Bill will replace the ordinances promulgated by the government to circumvent a Supreme Court order, which had called for the implementation of NEET from this session.
Health Minister J P Nadda, who moved the bill for consideration and passing, said the new legislation has three main objectives: end the multiplicity of examinations, make them fair and transparent and ensure students are not exploited, particularly with regard to capitation fees.
The minister said the examination will be based on the NCERT syllabus. The undergraduate exam would be conducted by CBSE while the post-graduation exam will be held by the national board of examination.
Source: The Indian Express