Now Reading: Weaver family’s twin sons crack NEET on first attempt in Tamil Nadu
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Weaver family’s twin sons crack NEET on first attempt in Tamil Nadu
Twin brothers from a weaver's family in Tirunelveli district have cleared NEET 2026 on their first attempt, securing medical college seats. Arun and Tharan, who studied at Velangudi Government Higher Secondary School, scored 511 and 494 marks respectively. Arun has joined Tirunelveli Government Medical College, while Tharan secured a seat at PSG Medical College in Coimbatore. Both admissions were under Tamil Nadu's 7.5 per cent reservation quota for government school students.
The brothers' parents, Ramkumar and Mangaiyar, are weavers from Velangudi. The family's modest income did not deter them from encouraging their sons towards a medical career. The Saurashtra community in Palayamkottai honoured the twins with shawls and mementos for their achievement, which has drawn attention beyond their village.
Their success comes amid ongoing protests in Tamil Nadu demanding the scrapping of NEET, with critics alleging it favours economically privileged students. The brothers' story highlights the determination of a government school-educated student from a low-income background achieving admission through the state's reservation quota.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 7.5% reservation for government school students in Tamil Nadu’s medical admissions was introduced in 2020. It applies to seats surrendered by the state from the all-India quota. In 2025, around 2,100 of 6,000 MBBS seats in the state were filled through this quota. Over 80% of these beneficiaries come from rural or weaver, farmer, and daily-wage families. The NEET debate in Tamil Nadu has seen the DMK government pass multiple bills to scrap it, all pending with the Governor. The next signal will be whether the state’s anti-NEET bill moves forward this session.
Source: thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
