Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan takes 'Moral Responsibility' for NEET errors, establishes high-level panel to investigate

In an unprecedented move, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday acknowledged irregularities in the NEET undergraduate exam, particularly in Bihar, where allegations of paper leaks surfaced. He announced the formation of a high-level committee to investigate and address these issues within the National Testing Agency (NTA).

At a press conference, Pradhan expressed regret for the breach of trust among students and youth. This marks a shift from his previous stance, where he denied any paper leak. Citing preliminary findings from Bihar Police, Pradhan noted that the irregularities were localized and did not necessitate a nationwide retest. Instead, a retest might be conducted only for affected centers.

Pradhan emphasized his commitment to maintaining the integrity of examinations and assured strict actions against those responsible. He highlighted that the government is waiting for more detailed reports from Bihar Police before making a final decision on NEET-UG 2024.

Addressing comparisons with the recent cancellation of the UGC-NET, Pradhan clarified that the situations were different. The UGC-NET was cancelled due to concrete evidence of a paper leak on the dark web, confirmed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre. This led to a CBI investigation into the matter.

Pradhan assured that the new Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act would soon have stringent rules in place to combat such challenges. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach, involving a diverse high-level committee comprising academics, technocrats, and psychologists to review and reform the examination process.

The current developments will not impact the NEET-UG retest scheduled for June 23 for candidates affected by administrative errors at six centers in Haryana.