Tamil Nadu Health Minister inspects mental health counselling centre for NEET students

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 16 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Monday inspected the Mental Health Counselling Centre at the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services Campus in Teynampet, Chennai. During his visit, he spoke with a student over the phone, offering reassurance and support.
The Tamil Nadu government has launched a mental health counselling initiative for students who either failed to clear the NEET exam or did not secure a medical seat despite qualifying.
Addressing the media, Subramanian said, "Since this government assumed office, we have been providing mental health counselling through the 104 helpline to students who could not clear the NEET. Over the past four years, we have offered counselling every year to those who either failed the NEET or couldn't get a seat even after passing. Last year, we also extended counselling to Class 12 students who failed their board exams."
He added, "The 104 helpline does more than just mental health counselling--it also provides career guidance, explaining multiple academic and professional options to students."
Sharing this year's NEET data, Subramanian stated, "In Tamil Nadu, 1,35,717 students appeared for NEET this year. Out of these, 76,181 cleared the exam, while 59,534 did not."
Speaking about today's counselling sessions, he said, "The 104 helpline has just begun its operations. In the first phase, 80 mental health counselors are providing support in two shifts--forenoon and afternoon. Since morning, over 600 students have already been contacted and counselled."
The minister also urged parents to avoid putting undue pressure on their children. "Alongside counselling, we are guiding students on alternative career paths and advising parents to support them constructively," he added.
The National Testing Agency on Saturday declared the results of the NEET (UG) examination. The NTA shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the development.
The NEET (UG) examinations were held on May 4 across 548 cities in India and 14 international centres. More than 20.8 lakh students appeared for the NEET (UG) examination.
Rajasthan's Mahesh Kumar achieved the first rank in the NEET (UG) 2025 examination with a percentile of 99.9999547, whereas Madhya Pradesh's Utkarsh Awadhiya achieved the second rank with 99.9990095 percentile. (ANI)