Odisha Accepts NEET UG 2013 For UG Medical Courses

The Odisha State government has finally decided to participate in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2013) for Undergraduate Medical courses admissions across the state. NEET 2013 is replacing the state's pre-medical entrance examination.

The Health Secretary, Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said, "We had some apprehensions. After the centre agreed to address those, we have agrees to be a part of NEET 2013 for Medical courses admissions for this year. There will be no separate state level entrance,"

Pradipta Kumar has expressed the stet;s apprehension that the test would mean medical seats in state-run colleges might go to students from outside the state. "We had raised certain issues with the health ministry. We are satisfied with the response," he said.

The government had sought clarifications about the fate of MBBS seats in case enough Odia students fails to qualify for it. The centre has clarified that a percentile system will be worked out where seats cen prepare their own merit lists depending on number of state quota seats, around 85% of total seats available there. A separate national merit list will be prepared fro filling up 15% seats in all states, which are currently filled from the All India Pre-Medical Entrance Test (AIPMT).

"This would ensure that odia students continue to occupy 85% seats in the state," Pradipta Kumar said, adding the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) would do the counseling for these seats. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct NEET, which is scheduled for May 12, 2013.

Pradipta Kumar said CBSE also agreed to include Koraput as a centre for NEET. Earlier it had chosen only Bhubaneswar and Rourkela as centres. The government had requested to increase centres in five cities, the other two are Samnbalpur and Berhampur.

For NEET 2013 medical aspirants, there would be five facilitation centres to help in the application procedure at DAV Chandrasekhar, Mother's Public School and Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV-I) in Bhubaneswar and Delhi Puiblic School, Rourkela.

NEET UG 2013 Online application registration will starts from Dec 01, 2012.