Amid the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-Undergraduate), Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan assured students on Friday that a transparent process would be followed, and they should not worry. Pradhan met with students and parents to address concerns and ensure no injustice would be done.
“The government assures students that full transparency will be adopted in probing alleged irregularities and re-conducting the NEET exams. The students do not need to worry,” Pradhan told ANI.
Pradhan explained that after meeting with students and their parents, he reassured them of the government’s commitment to transparency. He noted that 24 lakh students applied for NEET, with 23.30 lakh taking the exam. Some concerns were raised about irregularities at exam centers and issues with grace marks, which have been rectified. The Supreme Court permitted affected students to retake the exam, and they have been informed.
On Thursday, Pradhan dismissed claims of irregularities, stating there was “no paper leak” in the NEET-UG examination. He assured that the Government of India and the National Testing Agency (NTA) are committed to providing justice and will comply with the Supreme Court’s decisions.
The NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1,563 candidates who received grace marks in the 2024 NEET-UG exam would be canceled, and these candidates would have the chance to reappear for the exam. The re-test will be conducted on June 23, with results declared by June 30. The Supreme Court emphasized that NEET-UG counseling would continue as scheduled.
Several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court alleging paper leaks and malpractices in the May 5 exam conducted by NTA at 4,750 centers. The unprecedented number of perfect scores (67 students with 720) has raised additional concerns.
The opposition has also questioned the government over the alleged “scam” in conducting NEET-UG examinations. Protests have been organized by students demanding a probe into the irregularities. Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government, alleging corruption and paper leaks, and called for a Supreme Court-supervised investigation to ensure justice for affected students.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, is crucial for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
