Bills to keep states out of NEET ambit in Lok Sabha today

Two Bills, seeking to replace as many ordinances, to keep state boards out of the ambit of uniform medical and dental entrance examination NEET for this year are set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the The Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – seeking to amend the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, and the Dentists Act, 1948 – to replace the ordinances were slated to be introduced in the Lower House on Monday by Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda. But following the demise of sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dalpat Singh Paraste in June, the proceedings of the House were adjourned for the day as a mark of respect.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs SS Ahluwalia was also to table copies of the two ordinances in the House.  While an Ordinance has a life of six months, it should be passed as a Bill within 42 days (six weeks) from the day a Parliament session commences to prevent it from lapsing.

Under mounting pressure from several states, the government had in May promulgated two Ordinances to keep state boards out of the ambit of uniform medical and dental entrance examination, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), for this year.

The Ordinances seek to “partially” overturn a Supreme Court verdict, which said all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would be covered under NEET.

On July 14, the Supreme Court had said that the validity of the Centre’s Ordinance, allowing states to conduct separate entrance tests for admission to MBBS and BDS courses for the 2016-17 academic year was “in doubt”, but had rejected a plea, seeking a stay on it saying half the states have already conducted their tests.

“It is disturbing and not proper for the government to bring an ordinance allowing states to hold their own tests despite our orders...prima facie, we find that the validity of the ordinance is in doubt,” a Bench comprising justices AR Dave, AK Goel and Shiv Kirti Singh had said.