Chennai: Strongly protesting the central government's move to conduct a nationwide common entrance exam for admission to undergraduate and post graduate medical courses, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to exempt the state from the test.

In a letter to Singh on Tuesday, copies of which were released to the media here, the chief minister said: "The government of Tamil Nadu has taken steps since 2005 and finally abolished the Entrance Examination for the Professional Courses from the year 2007-2008."

"This was done after detailed examination by an Expert Committee which found that rural students and students from lower socio economic backgrounds are unable to compete with the urban elite students in such Common Entrance Examinations as they lack the requisite training institutions and materials," the letter notes.

Citing the state's policy of reserving 69 percent of seats for backward, most backward communities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in professional courses, Jayalalithaa said the introduction of common entrance test "would create confusion and litigation in the smooth implementation of this reservation policy both in undergraduate and postgraduate admissions".

Referring to the reservation of 50 percent of the medical post graduate seats for doctors who have completed three years of rural service and the enforcement of bonds from those completing post graduate education in government medical colleges to serve the state for a minimum period, Jayalalithaa said it will be legally difficult to implement such policy initiatives in the case of a common entrance test.

"In view of all the facts pointed out, I request that Tamil Nadu may be exempted from the test and allowed to continue with its existing system for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats," the letter notes. IANS