PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the House on Wednesday that delays in the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) results due to revisions will not affect admissions to NEET-based courses in Goa for the State quota. Students meeting the eligibility criteria will be admitted based on their NEET scores within the State quota.
In response to a calling attention raised by MLAs Carlos Ferreira, Altone D’Costa, and others, the Chief Minister clarified that while admissions to Goa Medical College and other State institutions will be unaffected for candidates within the State quota, the revised results could impact the All-India quota. He explained that since the conduct of NEET-2024 is outside the State government’s purview, any potential impact on students’ careers related to the All-India quota is beyond the government’s control.
Sawant noted that the admission process for NEET-based courses will proceed as soon as the revised NEET-2024 results are released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the schedule for admissions is announced by the Medical Counselling Committee of the Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India, and the Directorate of Technical Education.
MLA Venzy Viegas suggested that the House should request the Centre to exempt Goa from the NEET exam this year and allow admissions to medical colleges based on a common entrance test conducted by the State government. Meanwhile, MLA Vijai Sardesai proposed either providing free coaching for competitive exams or abolishing these exams altogether.
The Chief Minister responded by emphasizing the need to adhere to the directions issued by the Supreme Court regarding the NEET examination process.
