"Focus on studies, leave NEET arrangement to us": Dharmendra Pradhan ahead of June 21 exam

Seeking to reassure NEET-UG aspirants affected by the cancellation of the examination due to a paper leak incident, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Tuesday (June 9), ahead of the June 21 re-examination, said that extensive arrangements have been made to ensure the test is conducted smoothly in an error-free manner.

Pradhan urged students to focus on their preparation and leave concerns about the examination process to the authorities. He made the remarks following a review meeting on the preparations at the National Testing Agency (NTA) headquarters.

‘Focus on studies, leave logistics to us’

Speaking to reporters, Pradhan said the Centre has strengthened coordination with states and introduced additional safeguards across the examination process.

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“I want to tell the students – focus on your studies. We will conduct the re-NEET smoothly and without errors. Please cooperate with us,” said Pradhan.

“The NTA is going to conduct the re-NEET on June 21. We have reviewed its preparations several times. I visited the NTA headquarters today to review the preparations,” he added.

Tighter security measures

Elaborating further, the minister stated that tighter security measures have been implemented from question paper preparation to transportation and delivery at examination centres.

“From the preparation of question papers to ensuring that they reach the examination centres on time, we have taken additional precautions this time,” he said.

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The re-test follows the cancellation of the May 3 NEET-UG examination after allegations of a paper leak sparked concerns over the integrity of the process.

Pradhan said he has written to all Chief Ministers seeking greater cooperation to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.

“I have written to the chief ministers of all the states requesting their cooperation. Their support was there earlier as well, and I have requested them to pay even more attention this time,” he said.

States, agencies join preparedness drive

Several states have already held review meetings involving senior administrative and police officials, he added. The Centre has also strengthened the NTA with additional personnel assigned to oversee logistics, printing, coordination and software security.

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“Both experienced and newly inducted officials have been assigned specific responsibilities. Some are handling logistics, some are supervising printing, some are coordinating with the Air Force, some with banks, some with states, while others are verifying software security," Pradhan said.

He said agencies including CERT-In, I4C, the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI, MeitY and the Ministry of Home Affairs are jointly addressing cybersecurity concerns. “All these cyber protection agencies have been brought together and put to work,” he said.

(With agency inputs)