New Delhi: The Congress has come down heavily on the Centre after it cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-PG) for postgraduate medical courses, saying ‘for students to get Justice, Modi Govt must be held accountable’, according to NDTV.
Doctors have to clear NEET-PG, conducted by National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, to pursue postgraduate programmes.
Initially scheduled for March 3, it was later put off to July 7, before again being revised to June 23—however hours before the examination today it stands postponed again.
Meanwhile the government last night issued a statement announcing the postponement of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination: ‘Taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of processes of NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by National Board of Examination for medical students. It has accordingly been decided, as a precautionary measure to postpone the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, scheduled to be held tomorrow i.e. 23rd June, 2024. Fresh date of this examination will be notified at the earliest.’
Similarly, the National Testing Agency earlier cancelled the UGC-NET a day before students were to take exam.
Subsequently, the CSIR-UGC NET was also postponed just as the protest across the country calling out irregularities in the NEET UG exam was underway.
The cancellation of the NEET UG exam left nearly 24 lakh students in uncertainty, according to the report.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Centre saying the "buck stops at the doorstep of the top echelons of the Modi Govt".
‘Shuffling the bureaucrats is no solution to the endemic problem in the Education system rotted by the BJP. NTA was projected to be an autonomous body, but in reality was made to serve the devious interests of the BJP/RSS. For students to get Justice, Modi Govt must be held accountable,’ he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the government has handed to the CBI the investigation into the NEET UG irregularities.
"Certain cases of alleged irregularities/cheating/impersonation/malpractices have been reported," the Centre reportedly stated.