"No Malpractices Will Be Tolerated': Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan On NEET Controversy
New Delhi- In view the last year's NEET controversy, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently stated that the government is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in competitive entrance exams like NEET. He reiterated the Centre's zero tolerance policy towards malpractice and highlighted the ongoing reforms to strengthen the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Speaking at the NDTV Education Conclave about the conduct of these competitive entrance exams in 2024, Mr Pradhan said, This year, NEET, JEE and CUET exams are being conducted successfully. There were challenges last time, but a committee was formed, solutions were identified and steps were taken to prevent any recurrence.
He also stressed that the government is actively working to reform the NTA. To this, he said, "There can be challenges when a country with such a large population conducts exams, but we are clear that we will not tolerate any kind of malpractice." In addition, explaining the rationale behind administrative reforms, the minister said that keeping officials in the same role for extended periods can lead to vulnerabilities
Further, underlining the government's intention to make the agency more accountable and robust, the minister said, "Earlier, the chief executive officer of NTA was a joint secretary or additional secretary-level officer. This time, we have entrusted the responsibility to a secretary-level officer.", quoted NDTV.
As part of the restructuring of the NTA, the leadership of the agency has been upgraded. Describing the NTA as an "evolving institution", the minister said the aim is to equip it with competent people and technology-driven systems to prevent mismanagement and maintain the sanctity of the examination.
India currently has around 30 crore students aged between 5 and 23 years, making it important and challenging to conduct competitive exams on a large scale. This year alone, over 22 lakh students appeared for NEET.
India's biggest medical entrance exam, the National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2025, was conducted on May 4, 2025. Although the NEET cut-off 2025 is yet to be announced officially, as per last year's opening and closing rank details, aspirants can anticipate their chances of getting admission in their preferred medical colleges.
