IMPHAL, June 8: A day after the state government announced the cancellation of the medical entrance test to be conducted by the state , the Manipuri Students’ Federation, MSF called a press conference denouncing the state government for failing to announce it earlier and playing with the future of the students.
The student body called a press conference at its Thouda Bhabok Leikai office today declaring various forms of agitations unless the government clarify on the issue supported by relevant documents.
Addressing the press conference held at the student body’s Thouda Bhabok Leikai office today, general secretary, RN Koireng said the state government had been blatantly lying to the students by hiding the fact and failing to announce the cancellation of the test.
It may be mentioned that the state Education Minister and the state Medical Services Director had on June 7 announced that the June 9 scheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test has been called off following a Supreme Court ruling that state conducted medical entrance test after the first week of June will be invalidated.
Meanwhile, addressing the conference, the student body further said that even the admit cards for the June 9 scheduled test were already issued.
He charged the state government of being insensitive to the ambitions of the medical aspirants.
Speaking for the student body, he condemned the government’s decision to fill the state quota from the candidates who have qualified a similar but nation-wide National Eligibility cum Entrance test conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education of which the result was declared on June 5.
He further lamented the fact that the government had announced the decision only two days ahead of the examination, whereas the National Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Science (NEIGRIMS) had announced the cancellation of its entrance examination on March 15 in compliance with the notification of the Supreme Court.
The state Health Department was fraudulently trying to dupe the students by collecting a huge money from them by issuing forms, he alleged and added the directorate had collected Rs 200 per form and again Rs 600 (for general) and Rs 300 (for OBC and ST/SC) during form submission.
He further said that all together, 5756 aspiring students candidate had collected and submitted the forms following the April 19 notification of the State Directorate of Health Department for the conduct of the entrance test for the MBBS/BDS examination 2013.
The directorate continued to receive the forms inspite of both the state government and the State health department fully aware of the guidelines of the Medical Council of India to select the students for the MBBS/BDS from the NEET under graduate examination merit List, he alleged.
The student body has further demanded an explanation from the state Health department and the state government on the issue at the earliest to the general public. He said the explanation should be attested by the relevant and necessary documents for the reasons of calling off the test at the earliest and failure to do so on the part of the government, the student body will launch various forms of agitations in the interest of the MBBS/BDS aspirants.