CHENNAI: The CM Edappadi K Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu cabinet on Monday granted approval to promulgate an ordinance to give horizontal reservation – which is likely to be between 7.5% and 10% — to government school students who clear Neet for admission to medical courses from this academic year.
The government opted for the ordinance route since the assembly is not in session.
“The state government proposed to extend 10% horizontal quota within the vertical quota extended to categories available to SC/ST, OBC and open category. There was a discussion in the cabinet about the percentage before granting approval for ordinance, which could be between 7.5% and 10%,” said a source.
The decision comes in the wake of recommendations by the Justice P Kalaiyarasan-led committee in its report filed last week after an in-depth empirical study. The panel left it to the government to the quantum of reservation extended to government school students, who have been hit the hardest by the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet) in the last four years.
‘Justifiable grounds’ for NEET quota
The panel had been mandated to assess and analyse the reasons for the less number of government school students getting admission in medical courses and recommend measures to the government. The secretaries of health and family welfare, school education and law departments, besides two educationists, were part of the committee that studied the data from CBSE, ICSE and directorate of medical education before concluding that there were “justifiable grounds” for horizontal reservation.
“The promulgation of ordinance will take some time, not immediately,” said another source. The EPS government is keen to get the ordinance promulgated even as the validity of which could be challenged in the court of law.
After facing flak from the Opposition parties for having failed to get exemption from NEET for Tamil Nadu, despite a unanimous bills in the assembly in 2017, Palaniswami announced in March the constitution of committee and said his government would not allow the steep fall in the number of government school students getting admission in medical courses.
The government opted for the ordinance route since the assembly is not in session.
“The state government proposed to extend 10% horizontal quota within the vertical quota extended to categories available to SC/ST, OBC and open category. There was a discussion in the cabinet about the percentage before granting approval for ordinance, which could be between 7.5% and 10%,” said a source.
The decision comes in the wake of recommendations by the Justice P Kalaiyarasan-led committee in its report filed last week after an in-depth empirical study. The panel left it to the government to the quantum of reservation extended to government school students, who have been hit the hardest by the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet) in the last four years.
‘Justifiable grounds’ for NEET quota
The panel had been mandated to assess and analyse the reasons for the less number of government school students getting admission in medical courses and recommend measures to the government. The secretaries of health and family welfare, school education and law departments, besides two educationists, were part of the committee that studied the data from CBSE, ICSE and directorate of medical education before concluding that there were “justifiable grounds” for horizontal reservation.
“The promulgation of ordinance will take some time, not immediately,” said another source. The EPS government is keen to get the ordinance promulgated even as the validity of which could be challenged in the court of law.
After facing flak from the Opposition parties for having failed to get exemption from NEET for Tamil Nadu, despite a unanimous bills in the assembly in 2017, Palaniswami announced in March the constitution of committee and said his government would not allow the steep fall in the number of government school students getting admission in medical courses.
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