New Delhi, Aug 2: Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday defended the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which is under the scanner over paper leak cases, saying medical education had become an open business before this new exam was introduced and PG seats were sold for Rs 8 crore-13 crore each.
The minister intervened during a discussion on a private member resolution moved by DMK member M Mohmed Abdulla in Rajya Sabha on the NEET. Nadda said corruption was rife in medical education before the NEET was eventually rolled out during his first stint as health minister.
“Medical education had become a ‘business ka adda' (den). When I was health minister and was bringing NEET, one seat of post graduation was sold for Rs 8 crore each and if you had to opt for a discipline like radiology then it was Rs 12-13 crore,” Nadda said.
It had become an open business, he said.
He said that before the NEET came in, students had to travel across the country for writing medical entrance exams. He said that beside the money and time spent, the students also had to face huge corruption in the medical education system.
“The admission list used to be put up for 30-45 minutes and afterwards it use to be said that students did not come, therefore, we are using these seats at our discretion. It had become a business. There was a vested interest. The matter was pending before the Supreme Court for a long time,” Nadda said.
The number of cities where NEET exams are conducted have increased by 271 per cent to 571 from 154 cities, and the number of examination centres have increased by 86.6 per cent to 4,750 centres from 2,546 in 2019, he said.
Nadda said there has been an increase of 65 per cent in social category students qualifying the exam between 2019-2024.
“There has been 102 per cent increase in economically weaker section category students coming through the NEET. ST (Scheduled Tribes) 93.5 per cent increased, SC 78.8 per cent increase and OBC category has been added during our regime. Again people claim to be champions of OBC but the real champion is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. OBC representation has increased 65 per cent,” Nadda said.
He said medical entrance exams were conducted in English only that catered to only one segment of society, Now, the NEET is conducted in 13 languages, he said. “Today, students studying in government schools are coming to medical education. This is the difference. Medical education was for the privileged.”
The minister said that 17 perfect scores in NEET-UG this year have come from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi.
Congress member Syed Naseer Hussain said that a lot of BJP members during discussion said that the NEET was recommended by the Congress government which is true.
He said that the opposition wants NEET and NTA (National Testing Agency) to be scrapped because of paper leaks.
Hussain said the NEET is being used to facilitate a section of students associated with a particular ideology. He also said the National Testing Agency also outsources exams.
