IMPHAL, June 7: The state government has today announced that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test which was scheduled for June 9 has been called off, even though preparations for the test were underway and almost complete.
State seats for MBBS and BDS will however be filled on merit basis from the candidates who have qualified in the Central Board of Secondary Education conducted NEET.
Addressing media persons today in this regard at the office of the state Education Minister, the state Health Services Director Asem Bijoy said that the Supreme Court had set a June first week deadline starting from May 15 for the conduct of the test and as such the test had to be called off.
The Central Board of Secondary Education had conducted the first ever NEET of which the results were declared on June 5.
Meanwhile, the Health Services Director, Asem Bijoy continued that altogether 5333 candidates from the state had registered for the June 5 NEET conducted by the CBSE out of which, 4950 appeared for the said test.
A total of 2956 candidates had qualified for the test including 550 from the general category, 167 from Scheduled Caste, 863 from Scheduled Tribes and 1373 from the OBC and three from the Physically Handicapped, he continued.
The Director said a total of 5756 applications was received for the June 9 cancelled test.
Forms were sold at Rs 600 to general and Rs 300 to ST/SC and OBC, he said.
Meanwhile, the State Education Minister Moirangthem Okendro Singh said the state conducted National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical aspirants which was supposed to be held on June 9 has been called off.
He said that the decision was approved during the state cabinet meeting yesterday itself and was supposed to be announced yesterday during the post cabinet meeting press conference, however due to the unavailability of the concerned Minister who was out of station; the announcement had been postponed till today.
The Minister further said that due to the cancellation of the June 9 test, the state seats will be filled from those candidates who had qualified in the June 5 test on merit basis.
He said the 85 seats for Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences and the 30 for Regional Institute of Medical Sciences will also be selected by the Centre from the June 5 results on merit basis.
NNN adds: A total of 5756 MBBS/BDS aspirants were to appear in the state entrance test for this year and around Rs 40 lakh was collected from them by selling forms, the Medical Director informed.
However, he said that a total amount of Rs 23 lakh was spent on preparations for the entrance test and the Health Services was planning to return the money to them.