1. NTA schedules NEET-UG retest for 1,563 candidates at six centers amid paper leak concerns.
2. Union Education Ministry officials to oversee exam proceedings alongside NTA representatives.
3. Retest prompted by allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG exam, including paper leaks.
New Delhi, June 23: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct a retest of the NEET-UG examination for 1,563 candidates at six centers in four states and a Union Territory on Sunday amid the ongoing paper leak controversy.
NTA and Union Education Ministry officials will be present at the examination centers.
The retest is scheduled from 2 pm to 5:20 pm, following the withdrawal of grace marks initially awarded to students affected by delays at six centers in Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Chandigarh.
The students were given an optional chance to retake the exam.
The re-conduct of NEET-UG follows allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks, in the medical entrance exam. Six students scored perfect 720 marks, along with 61 others, raising concerns about mark inflation.
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A senior NTA official noted that while all other examination centers have changed, the center in Chandigarh, where only two candidates will appear, remains the same.
Officials from the agency and the Union Education Ministry will also be present to ensure the smooth conduct of the re-exam.
On Thursday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan ruled out the cancellation of NEET exams, emphasizing that the careers of lakhs of students who rightfully cleared the exam cannot be jeopardized due to isolated incidents of malpractice.
Previously, the NEET-PG exam scheduled for today was postponed as a precautionary measure to maintain the integrity of the entrance exam.
The Ministry of Health announced it would conduct a thorough assessment of examination processes to ensure robustness and fairness, with a new date for the exam to be announced soon.
The NEET-PG postponement followed the cancellation of UGC-NET due to the exam paper being leaked on the darknet.
