The Bill to admit students to undergraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu on the basis of the Class XII marks is “under consideration” of Governor R.N. Ravi, the Raj Bhavan has said in response to a question under the RTI Act.
P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu, had sought information on the status of the Bill and the action taken by the Governor.
“The file is under consideration,” the Raj Bhavan said in a response given, on December 17, by S. Venkateshwaran, under-secretary to the Governor and Public Information Officer.
Mr. Babu had also asked the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and the Chief Secretary’s office whether any letter or question was received from the Governor and whether the State had sent any reply or reminder. The Chief Secretary’s office clarified that he is not an official designated to share information (or an appellate authority) under the Act.
It forwarded the application to the Health Department, which in turn sent it to the Law Department. On September 13, the Assembly passed the Bill seeking to “dispense” with the requirement for candidates to qualify in NEET for admission to undergraduate medical courses. The Bill was sent to the Raj Bhavan, when Banwarilal Purohit was the Governor, for being forwarded to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Incidentally, on November 27, the State government released a photograph of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin meeting the Governor and said Mr. Stalin had pressed the Governor for forwarding the Bill to the President immediately. But the Raj Bhavan had released a photograph of the meeting the same day and said the “steps taken by the government to handle the incessant rain and the COVID-19 pandemic” were discussed. It made no mention of any discussion on the Bill.
The State Platform for Common School System proposes to begin a hunger strike on January 30, urging the Governor to forward the Bill to the President.
The Governor should have examined the Bill and given it priority because it concerned medical aspirants aged below 18. The delay was hurting the aspirations of students, and their families remained in a state of uncertainty, it said.
