Dharmendra Pradhan, Odiya Minister, has written a letter to JP Nadda, Health Minister regarding the inclusion of Odia as a medium in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET.
He wrote that the government must consider the interests of the students in the state and add an option so that the students can take the NEET examination either in Odia or English. He further added that the meritorious students who are from Odia medium, would be benefitted and get a good score in NEET. The government has to consider the request as the students who lack expertise in English must not be affected.
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He further added that the Government of Odisha has failed to represent the interest of aspirations of NEET during the consultations. Therefore, to cover up the failure, the government is making continuous recommendations to the central government regarding the inclusion of Odia in NEET.
On December 22, 2016, the students of BCJD's Students' Union protested against the government of Orissa for not recommending inclusion of Odia in NEET. Therefore, the Chief Minister of the state, Naveen Patnaik made a representation to the central government through a written statement.
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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on December 21, 2016, that NEET will be conducted in eight languages apart from English and Hindi. It is a good initiative taken by the government. It will benefit the students who lack proficiency in English and take NEET examination without facing difficulty.