Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations (NBE) announced on Friday that the NEET-PG exam, essential for admission to postgraduate medical courses, is now rescheduled for August 11, 2024. The National Testing Agency (NTA) confirmed that the examination will be conducted in two shifts.
Initially scheduled for June 22, the NEET-PG exam faced an abrupt postponement just hours before its commencement due to controversies over alleged irregularities, including leaked papers for the undergraduate (UG) exam.
NBE president Dr. Abhijat Seth stated that the postponement was a precautionary measure requested by the Ministry of Education. The ministry sought to verify the exam process’s robustness and ensure there were no vulnerabilities. Despite the allegations, Dr. Seth emphasized that the NBE has maintained strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) over the past seven years, with no previous reports of paper leaks.
The announcement of the new date followed a meeting between Union Home Ministry officials and the government’s anti-cybercrime body, addressing the exam irregularities. To further secure the examination process, measures such as preparing the question paper just two hours before the exam were discussed.
NEET-PG is crucial for assessing the eligibility of MBBS degree holders for enrollment in postgraduate medical courses across government and private medical colleges nationwide.
In response to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and the subsequent cancellation of the UGC-NET, thousands of students protested nationwide. Recently, 50 successful NEET-UG candidates from Gujarat petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the Centre and the NTA from canceling the disputed exam. This plea came shortly before a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is set to hear 26 petitions demanding a re-test and an investigation into the examination’s alleged malpractices.
The NEET-UG examination held on May 5 saw an unprecedented 67 students score a perfect 720, raising suspicions of irregularities, particularly as six of these top scorers were from a Haryana center. Allegations suggested that grace marks played a role in the unusually high number of perfect scores. The NTA later revised the results, reducing the number of candidates sharing the top rank from 67 to 61.
As the new NEET-PG exam date approaches, the focus remains on ensuring a secure and fair testing process for all candidates, with the government’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of India’s medical entrance examinations.
