Union Minister Chirag Paswan Addresses NEET Exam Controversy

Union Minister Chirag Paswan said on Monday that the government has ‘nothing to hide’ regarding the ongoing row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG exam by the National Testing Agency (NTA). He assured that the culprits will not be spared and that investigations are ongoing.

Paswan also expressed happiness on taking oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha. He mentioned that his family accompanied him on his first day to Parliament. The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha commenced on Monday morning with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected members of the lower house and will conclude on July 3.

The nation is witnessing widespread protests over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024 by the NTA. The opposition is demanding to scrap the testing agency. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a criminal case based on a written complaint from the Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education over the NEET irregularities. According to the agency’s FIR, certain ‘isolated incidents’ occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination held on May 5, 2024. Special teams have been formed by the CBI to investigate the matter.