NEET controversy: 7-member reform panel formed; 'mastermind' arrested
NEET students stage protests against the NTA
India's education ministry on Saturday (June 22) constituted a high-level committee of experts to ensure fair and transparent conduct of national examinations amid the NEET and UGC-NET row. The development coincides with the arrest of Ravi Atri, the alleged mastermind behind the purported paper leak, by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF).
"In order to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through National Testing Agency (NTA), department of higher education, ministry of education constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on Reform in mechanism of examination process improvement in data security protocols and structure and functioning of National Testing Agency," the ministry said.
The committee, formed in the wake of growing controversy over the integrity of medical entrance exam NEET, will make recommendations for reforms in the mechanism of the examination process as well as the improvement in the data security protocols within the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Also watch |NEET-UG 2024: India Supreme Court declines to stay process of counselling again
The committee is scheduled to submit its report to the ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) within next two months.
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The 7-member committee will be headed by former chief of Indian Space Research Organisation, Dr K Radhakrishnan. The committee also includes Dr Randeep Guleria, Prof B J Rao, Prof. Ramamurthy K, Pankaj Bansal, Aditya Mittal, Govind Jaiswal.
Earlier, Union Human Resource Development minister Dharmendra Pradhan promised tough action against National Testing Agency (NTA) officials for any irregularity and added that government was committed to zero-error testing. Pradhan, however, stopped short of giving in to the demand to scrap the medical entrance test and conduct fresh test devoid of any irregularities.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the National Testing Agency to conduct re-exam for the NEET aspirants, who had been awarded grace marks, on June 23.
But the ongoing developments do not stall the ongoing counselling process.
"Counselling will proceed, and we will not stop it. If the exam is affected, everything is affected, so there is nothing to fear," the Supreme Court declared.
NEET controversy: What is it about?
The controversy erupted after 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720 in the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 5. The National Testing Agency (NTA) attributed this to the awarding of grace marks due to a faulty question and logistical delays in paper distribution at some centres.
But Bihar police later said that the exam paper had been leaked to a select few candidates.
(With inputs from agencies)