New Delhi, May 15 (JKNS): Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced a series of major reforms in the NEET examination process following the recent paper leak controversy, stating that the government will not allow any malpractice to happen again and that the future of students remains its top priority.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, as per news agency JKNS, Pradhan said the National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, while from next year the medical entrance examination will be shifted to Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode to strengthen transparency and prevent irregularities.
He said the government had to take a “difficult decision” to cancel the earlier examination after verification confirmed that question papers had leaked under the guise of “guess papers.” According to the Minister, the verification process started on May 8 and continued till May 11 before the government decided to cancel the examination on May 12 in the interest of deserving students.
Pradhan said the Centre follows a zero-tolerance policy towards examination irregularities and assured students that strict measures are being taken to ensure such incidents are not repeated in future. He added that the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted after previous controversies, had already been implemented, but despite that the latest incident took place.
The Education Minister also announced several relief measures for students appearing in the re-examination. He said examination fees paid by candidates would be refunded and no fee would be charged for the upcoming examination.
He further informed that the NTA will once again allow candidates to select their preferred examination city, considering that many students may have left the cities where they appeared previously. A detailed public notice regarding the process is expected to be issued by the NTA later in the evening.
Pradhan also announced that the duration of the examination would be extended by 15 minutes. The exam, earlier scheduled from 2 PM to 5 PM, will now continue till 5:15 PM to facilitate attendance formalities and other procedures.
The Minister said admit cards for all candidates would be issued by June 14 and added that the Government of India would coordinate with states to ensure smooth transportation and minimum inconvenience to students during the examination process. (JKNS)
