Assam to seek stricter security at NEET exam centres
Guwahati: The Assam government will ask the Centre to increase the security at NEET centres, including checking the biometrics of candidates at the gate.
This decision comes as it has been found that despite scoring high numbers in the MBBS entrance exam, the knowledge of many students is limited.
Addressing a press conference here after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said faculty members at medical colleges in the state have pointed out that students who crack the entrance examinations with high numbers are not as good as they should have been.
"Many professors told us that many students' practical or academic knowledge is very limited despite scoring high numbers in such a big examination. We had asked the Special Branch to probe the matter around one-and-half-year back," he added.
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Sarma said the police have informed the government that most of the entrance exam centres are in private institutes, not in government schools or colleges.
"We didn't interfere so far as it is conducted by Delhi. The Cabinet today took three decisions, to request the central government. The first is to hold the medical entrance exam only in government schools," he added.
The state government will also request the NTA and Ministry of Education to conduct the NEET under the direct supervision of the district commissioners and superintendents of police, the CM said.
"The third request will be to have a biometric testing of the candidates before they enter the exam halls. If these steps are taken, I believe the medical examination process will be transparent," he said.
Sarma said the government has authorised the chief secretary to contact the NTA director general and Union education secretary to inform them of the cabinet decisions.
The CM said he would personally discuss the matter with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The state Cabinet also approved the revocation of the quota for Char areas (riverine vegetative islands) of the Assam MBBS/BDS Rules 2017 from the 2025-26 session onwards.
