Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami on Friday announced a travel allowance of second class train fare for Tamil Nadu students appearing for the NEET medical entrance exam outside the state.
In a statement issued in Chennai, Palaniswami said that the government would pay second class train fare (for those travelling by bus an allowance not exceeding second class train fare) and a cash allowance of Rs 1,000 for Tamil Nadu students who have to travel outside the state for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
He said the government would also pay the travel fare for one person who accompanies the student.
Palaniswami said the eligible students can get the sum from the Principal Education Officer in their district through their school headmaster as an advance or claim the same on their return by submitting the necessary bills.
He said the assistance will be provided based on the copy of the NEET Hall Ticket and the identity card issued by the school as proof.
This came days after several students from Tamil Nadu expressed their ire, as they had been allotted exam centres in Kerala and Rajasthan.
Earlier, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the Madras High Court's directive to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to set up additional NEET centres within Tamil Nadu, which sparked massive outrage within the state.
The stay followed CBSE's move challenging the Madras High Court's order on April 27 ordering setting up of centres for the Tamil Nadu students who were allocated centres far away from home in Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
CBSE's move against the HC order came just a few days before NEET was slated to take place on the May 6. Following this the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order, leaving the students in a fix.
Students are angry with the NEET administration, but speaking to TNM earlier, the Director of NEET said that more than one lakh students had been accommodated within the state, and they tried their best to allot centres to everyone within TN.
IANS inputs