Gujarat,TN reject medical CET plan

Even as most states supported the newly proposed Common Entrance Test (CET) by the Medical Council of India (MCI),it is unlikely that the system will come into effect from next session as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu outrightly rejected the idea at the state ministers conference in Hyderabad on Thursday.

While MCI chief Dr S K Sarins two-hour presentation on the proposed examination for undergraduate and post-graduate medical courses saw many supporters,others had queries. Some states which have common test for medical and other streams like ayurveda and dental had apprehensions. Some had queries related to their reservation policy and seats for private colleges, sources said,adding that the matter would be discussed with the Union Health Ministry and states again. Health Secretary K Chandramouli would hold a meeting with the MCI chief on the same matter on Friday so as to finetune it before going to the states again.

MCI sources said they were hopeful as except Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,concerns of others could be looked into.

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The MCI had received a lot of flak after it issued a notification late last month,proposing a CET. While the Health Ministry opposed the notification,it wrote to the regulators asking them to withdraw it. The ministry also struck down the notification as the MCI had issued it without prior consultancy with it,making it invalid.

The proposal was opposed by Tamil Nadu which has the most private medical colleges,with CM K Karunanidhi writing to Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that he was astonished by the notification. The Tamil Nadu government later got it stayed by the Madras High Court.