Union minister of state for HRD D. Purandeshwari said on Wednesday that the Centre would not force states to implement the proposed national common entrance test for engineering admissions in 2013. The Central government had faced stiff resistance from various states and the IITs regarding starting Neet for engineering admissions from next year.
“We are making all the arrangements to conduct the new national test for B.Tech admissions in 2013, which will be confined to Central-funded institutions. It’s up to the respective state governments to decide whether they will be part of the test or not. We will not force the states to implement the new test in 2013. They can go ahead with their own CETs if they want. However, we are trying to convince all the states to be part of the new national engineering test at least from 2014,” said Ms Purandeshwari.
Speaking to reporters on the side lines of the launch of a new range of scientific calculators for students in India by Texas Instruments here on Wednesday, Ms Purandeshwari admitted that the UMHRD was yet to achieve a “consensus” over holding the new test in 2013. “There is no opposition as such from states over adopting the new test for B.Tech admissions. They are just seeking some more time to implement it. It’s true that some IITs have also objected to the new test. We are open and ready to discuss the issue to find an amicable solution. However, we will not force states or anyone else to adopt Neet from 2013 itself,” she said.