After taking the issue of classical tag for Odia language to President Pranab Mukherjee last month, Rajya Sabha Congress member Rama Chandra Khuntia has now urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to place a demand before the Union Government to include Odia language in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as other State languages.
In a letter to Patnaik, Khuntia said, “While the NEET question papers have been printed in various regional languages like Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Bengali, the Odisha Government is yet to move the Centre to include Odia language in NEET.”
“If the State Government proposes the Union Government to include Odia as medium of language for question papers in the NEET for all India Medical Entrance Test, then, the latter will certainly take a positive decision,” Khuntia said.
“On September 20, 2012, I along with various organisations like Odia Bhasa Suraksha Abhiyan, Odissa Shiksha Sansthan and Odia Teaching and Research Organisation had submitted memorandums to the Prime Minister, the Union Health Minister and the State Government. While the PMO and the Union Health Minister assured us to consider our demands, the State Health Secretary then clarified that there is no necessity to include Odia in NEET as the pre-medical entrance test in Odisha will be conducted through OJEE. But later, the State participated in NEET, not OJEE, on May 15, 2012,” said Khuntia.
Though 35,000 students from the State participated in the NEET-2013 but a few applicants passed the test as there was no provision of Odia language in NEET.
“As Odia is one of the oldest languages in Indian Union and more than 90 per cent of the students pass class X and Plus II examination in Odia medium, the State Government without delaying further should approach the Union Government in this regard to ensure more participation of Odia students in medical entrance test,” said Khuntia.