The DMK on Tuesday promised to do away with the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions and ushering in quota in the private sector in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election.
"The NEET for medical admissions will be scrapped," DMK chief M K Stalin said while unveiling the salient features of his party's manifesto.
Opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu from major political parties and students had taken emotive overtones in the past.
Stalin said steps would be taken for implementing reservation in the private sector.
The party also assured steps for waiver of all educational loans taken by students.
Against the background of agitations by state government employees seeking reversion to the old pension scheme in place of the newly-introduced contributory scheme, the DMK chief said: "We will bring back the old pension scheme for both the central and state government employees."
The DMK president said the party would revert to the administered-price mechanism to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Another key feature of the manifesto is doing away with the direct cash transfer of subsidy for the LPG and bringing down the prices of cylinders.
The DMK is contesting 20 seats in the state, allotting the remaining 19 to its allies. The state goes to polls in a single phase on April 18.
The other promises of the DMK are:
- Metro rail projects for Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore and Salem
- Permanent Indian citizenship for Sri Lankan refugees living in refugee camps
- Release of seven prisoners serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case
- Waiver of education loans
- Free power for weavers
- A separate budget for agriculture
- MNREGA employment guarantee scheme days to be increased by 50 days to 150 days
- Bring back the Sethusamudram project
- Reduction in cable TV rates
- Re-introduction of old pension scheme for government employees
- Education to be brought back into the state list
- Tamil as official language in central government offices
- Abolition of highway toll
With inputs from Agencies
