Day after teen kills self over NEET result, his father found dead

News Network

August 14, 2023

Chennai, Aug 13: A day after his 19-year-old son died by suicide after failing to clear the NEET medical entrance exam, the boy's father was found dead at his home in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, the police said.

Jagadeeswaran, who had graduated from Class XII in 2022 with 427 marks, was unable to clear the entrance in two attempts. On Saturday, he did not respond to calls from his father and was found dead at home. His father, Selvasekar, was found dead the next morning. Unable to cope with the grief of his son's death, Selvasekar hanged himself at his home, the police said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condoled the deaths and appealed to students "to not entertain suicidal thoughts but to have self-confidence and to live life".

In 2021, the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a bill seeking exemption from NEET, arguing that it favors affluent students who can afford private coaching and puts students from poor families and rural areas at a disadvantage, even if they score high marks in their Class XII exams.

For nearly a decade prior to this, the state had abolished entrance tests for medical admissions and admitted students to MBBS programs based on their Class XII marks.

Governor RN Ravi, who had returned the bill after a long delay, forwarded it to President Droupadi Murmu after the assembly passed it again.

Today, Chief Minister Stalin said, "The NEET wall will crumble in a few months when the political change we aspire to bring about happens."

"The NEET system favours only those who can afford to pay lakhs to prepare for two or three years. Those who secure fewer marks in their Class XII exams are also able to secure medical admission by paying hefty sums of money with NEET qualification. They have created a situation where medical education is only for the affluent.

"Poor students from government schools in the state are now able to pursue medicine only because of the 7.5% reservation that the state has made," he added.

A few days ago, Governor Ravi, who had felicitated NEET-qualified candidates, faced an uncomfortable question from a parent of a successful candidate who wanted NEET exemption. The parent said that he had spent several lakhs on his daughter's coaching and that not all parents could afford it. The Governor retorted, saying the bill is with the President now and he would never sign it.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian slammed the Governor for "misleading" the state with such statements when he has "no role in this except merely forwarding" it to the President.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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