Parliamentary panel to review NEET-UG re-exam outcomes and NTA reforms

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel will next week discuss the functional proficiency of regulatory institutions under the Ministry of Health over the conduct of the NEET medical entrance examination.The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare headed by Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav will in its meeting on July 16 discuss the issue in detail.The NEET exam row has already been discussed by two other parliamentary panels, which had summoned top officials of the Health, and Higher Education ministries, besides officials of National Testing Agency (NTA), National Medical Commission (NMC) and the CBI which is probing the NEET paper leak case.The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare will discuss the issue of affordability and accessibility of healthcare facilities in public and private sectors during its July 15 meeting.SSC CHT 2026 Tentative Vacancies Released At ssc.gov.in; 303 Posts Announced Across MinistriesThe panel will also discuss the issue of "organizational structure, mandate and functional proficiency of regulatory institutions" pertaining to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the "Conduct of NEET examinations under NMC Act, 2019" during its meeting on July 16.The Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports and the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances have already held discussions on the issue.The committee on health is the third panel which is looking into the contentious issue.The parliamentary panels have already summoned Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi and NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, besides NMC chairperson and discussed with them ways and means of strengthening the NTA to help check any paper leaks in the prestigious medical entrance examination.The NEET-UG exam originally conducted on May 3 was cancelled by the government following allegations of paper leak and was re-conducted on June 21. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

NEET UG 2027: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET UG) is likely to undergo significant changes from 2027, with the exam expected to be conducted as a computer-based test (CBT) over five to six days across nearly 1,000 examination centres in around 500 cities, according to a report by The Indian Express.Proposed CBT formatThe Indian Express report states that around 5 lakh candidates will be accommodated each day, with the majority of examination centres proposed to be government institutions, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas. Some reputed private institutions may also be designated as test centres.The proposed changes come after the NEET UG 2026 paper leak controversy, which led to the cancellation of the original May 3 examination and a fresh test being conducted on June 21. The incident triggered nationwide protests and a CBI investigation.NTA restructuring planAccording to The Indian Express report, the Ministry of Education is also preparing a comprehensive overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA), covering its organisational structure, technology, infrastructure, and examination processes."We are going to change the entire organisation of the NTA, from top to bottom," sources told The Indian Express, adding that the revamp is expected to be completed before October. There are around 150 posts sanctioned in the NTA, as per the report.Changes based on committee recommendationsThe Indian Express report notes that these reforms are based on recommendations from the seven-member committee headed by former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan, which the Centre constituted in 2024 following an earlier NEET paper leak.Earlier this year, while announcing the NEET UG retest, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had stated that NEET UG would transition from the traditional pen-and-paper format to a computer-based examination from 2027, in line with the committee's recommendations.Exam operations under proposed planAs per the proposed plan, each examination centre is expected to accommodate approximately 500 candidates per day. A detailed notification specifying examination shifts, test cities, and other operational details is likely to be released after the NTA restructuring is completed, The Indian Express reported.The report further states that officials from the Ministry of Education and the NTA recently briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on measures being taken to strengthen the country's entrance examination system.Paper leak investigation continuesAddressing concerns over the ongoing investigation into the latest NEET paper leak, sources told The Indian Express that “As far as criminal action is concerned, investigations are going on and no one will be spared if he or she has committed the crime.”

New Delhi: Members of a parliamentary panel on Wednesday sought statutory status for the National Testing Agency (NTA) even as they lauded the successful conduct of the NEET-UG re-exam.The panel members, however, expressed concern over the computer-based test (CBT) mode for the NEET-UG exam from next year and called for taking the interests of the marginalised sections into account.Former ISRO chairman R Radhakrishnan, who is also the chairman of the high-powered committee set up by the government to suggest reforms in the examination system, appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports and discussed steps taken for the NEET re-exam.NTA Director General Abhishek Singh and Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education Vineet Joshi also appeared before the panel and discussed the lessons learnt from the NEET re-exam held on June 21.NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Result To Be Announced By July 20; NTA Assures Timely MBBS Admissions The officials were called by the panel, headed by Congress member Mukul Wasnik, on the learnings from the NEET-UG re-examination and steps to strengthen the NTA as well as reforms required.This was the first meeting under Wasnik's chairmanship. Earlier, Congress member Digvijaya Singh was the panel chairperson, but he has since retired.The panel reviewed the conduct of the NEET-UG re-examination and Abhishek Singh briefed its members on the process and the outcomes.Sources said the panel members asked the officials how the NTA will conduct the examination of this scale on its own next year, as the re-exam was successfully held only after the entire government came into action. From the prime minister to the junior-most official, all were involved in its conduct, they noted.NEET UG 2026 Fee Refund: NTA Extends Last Date To Update Bank Account Details Till July 7 The sources said the MPs suggested giving more powers to the NTA for independently handling an exam of this magnitude and suggested giving statutory status to the agency.The Ministry of Education established the NTA as an independent, autonomous, and self-sustained premier testing organisation under the Societies Registration Act (1860).The panel members also expressed concern over several examinees being left out as they arrived late at the exam centres. They also urged the NTA to take steps to help them, saying the visuals of the distraught aspirants being left outside the centre for arriving late were disturbing.With the NTA now deciding to hold the NEET exam in a computer-based testing format, the members said the interests of marginalised sections should be kept in mind as some may not have access to computers.NEET PG 2026 Registration Begins At natboard.edu.in; Apply Until July 21 Earlier, top officials told the committee about the successful conduct of the NEET re-exam on June 21 and listed several steps being taken. The Committee congratulated them on their efforts.Some MPs also asked why separate tests for nursing and other exams are not held to reduce the number of examinees.Radhakrishnan told the panel that the recommendations made by him are being implemented in a phased manner. The timeline for implementing the Radhakrishnan recommendations was, however, not given.Some members, sources added, asked if such exams can be conducted in a graded manner, similar to the ones held by the UPSC.UGC NET June 2026: NTA Schedules Re-Exam On July 5 For Candidates Affected By Jalandhar Technical Glitch The NEET-UG exam originally conducted on May 3 was cancelled by the government following reports of 'paper leak' and was re-conducted on June 21. The CBI is probing the paper leak in the NEET exam.The panel had earlier summoned all top officials of the ministries of Higher Education and Health and officials of NTA and NMC over the NEET-UG exam paper leak case and the CBSE onscreen marking system.The sources said a few former officials of the Indian Institute of Science and AICTE, besides Delhi School of Artificial Intelligence, also briefed the Committee on the impact of AI on education and suggested strategies to maximise employability of students.The sources said the panel has called former head of NIEPA Arun C Mehta and former IIT Guwahati Director and former Chairman of AICTE T G Sitharam to brief the panel members on the impact of artificial intelligence on education.Some members suggested that AI's use in the education system should be done while keeping the Indian traditions in mind. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

A Parliamentary panel has recommended conducting NEET-UG in multiple phases across states to ease logistical pressures and suggested granting statutory status to the NTA for stronger examination oversight. Officials briefed the committee on the NEET re-examination's success and discussed reforms. Concerns were raised about a potential shift to Computer-Based Tests and latecomers being denied entry.

Parliamentary panel meeting: The meeting comes amid continued focus on the conduct and management of national-level entrance examinations and the need to strengthen testing systems.