Over 13 lakh students to compete for NEET

Competition for seats in undergraduate medical and dental courses will be tougher, with the total registrations for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) increasing by almost two lakh this year.

According to figures revealed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), over 13.36 lakh hopefuls have registered for NEET 2018, up from 11.5 lakh in 2017. The total number of seats in MBBS and BDS institutes across the country stands at 60,000.

Experts have attributed this increase to a number of reasons, including more states opting for NEET scores instead of their Common Entrance Tests (CETs) to fill seats for all health science courses, and an overall increase in number of students clearing Class 12 exams every year.

“Various policies and scholarships made available by the central and state governments have encouraged higher number of students clearing secondary and higher secondary education across the country. We anticipate an increase on the basis of this reason every year,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research. CBSE has started distributing admit cards. NEET (UG) 2018 will be conducted in 11 languages on May 6.

MUMBAI:

Top leaders of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday underlined the important role media can play in shaping opinion in the current challenging times by focusing on people-centric issues instead of personality cults.

Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal were speaking at a function held by Hindustan Times to celebratecompletionof18years in the region.

HT was launched from Chandigarh April 18, 2000, to cater to Punjab, Haryana, HP, J&K, and Chandigarh.

The common thread running through most speeches at the event, attended by a galaxy of leaders and opinion makers from diverse fields, was the role of media and the challenges it faces. Badnore, also the Chandigarh administrator, said newspapers should take up issues that are apolitical in nature and can make a difference, citing stubble burning as one such topic. “It is an environment issue which affects a lot of people. It is said because of stubble burning cancer is increasing,” he said.

Addressing the gathering,

CHANDIGARH: