- By Radha Basnet
- Sat, 15 Jun 2024 09:33 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
NEET UG Row: Amid row over the NEET-UG 2024 examination, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government will not tolerate any malpractice or irregularities in the conduct of exams and accountability of the National Testing Agency will be fixed if lapses are found. The controversy surrounding NEET-UG escalated when 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, resulting in all sharing the prestigious All India Rank (AIR) 1. These unexpected scorers have triggered widespread debate within the educational community.
What Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Said On NEET Row
Regarding the response to six centers where exam papers were wrongly distributed and candidates had to be compensated with grace marks to make up for the loss of time, Pradhan said, "Every aspect is being looked into. Accountability will be fixed and depending on the nature of lapse, action will be taken."
"There is no scope for any malpractice or irregularities in the conduct of any exam. We will not tolerate that. The accountability of NTA will also be fixed if lapses are found," Pradhan said as quoted by news agency PTI.
"The government is committed to protecting the interests of NEET examinees. Concerns of students will be addressed with fairness and equity. Facts related to NEET are in cognisance of the Supreme Court. The counselling process will be underway soon and it is of utmost importance to move ahead in this direction without any confusion," he added.
The minister's statements were made at a time when the Congress escalated its attack on the government over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the matter. The opposition party stated that only an independent forensic investigation monitored by the Supreme Court can safeguard the future of lakhs of young students.
Supreme Court Issues Notice To NTA
On Friday, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre and the NTA on a plea seeking a CBI investigation into allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities in the exam. Earlier on Thursday, the Centre and the NTA informed the top court that they had revoked the grace marks initially awarded to 1,563 candidates. These candidates will have the option to retake the test or forgo the compensatory marks.
(With Agencies Inputs)
