NEET PG Postponed 2024: Latest Exam Updates
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on June 22 that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) Examination, initially set for June 23, has been postponed….
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced on June 22 that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) Examination, initially set for June 23, has been postponed. A new date will be provided as soon as possible. Students expressed their frustration and questioned the Agency’s ability to manage the exam. One student remarked, “Everything has been messed up,” while another described the situation as “a complete failure of the agency.”
With the postponement of the NEET PG 2024 as a precautionary measure, students who were set to take the exam are expressing their concerns about this sudden change. The lack of new dates has led to frustration among students, doctor’s associations, and even opposition parties, who are now closely monitoring the situation involving NEET UG and UGC NET.
The abrupt cancellation of NEET PG, just hours before the scheduled exam on June 23, took students by surprise. In addition, students aiming to apply for medical college through NEET UG have also been affected.
Approximately 2 lakh MBBS graduates take the NEET PG exam annually for about 52,000 post-graduation seats nationwide. Currently, over 1,500 students are sitting for the NEET UG re-test, receiving grace marks from the Agency, while other students are protesting for a re-test and a postponement of counseling.
Moreover, after the NTA conducted the UGC NET, the Education Ministry, based on inputs from I4C, cancelled the examination, citing that the paper had been compromised.
NTA DG Shunted
In the wake of allegations of irregularities in the NEET and NET exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh has been relieved of his duties. He is currently on “compulsory wait” until further notice.
Pradeep Singh Kharola, the Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has been assigned the additional responsibility of overseeing the NTA.
NEET PG Postponement Amid Fraud Allegations
On June 21, just one day before the NEET PG was postponed, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) revealed that routine surveillance by its officials had uncovered a scheme where fraudulent individuals were attempting to deceive NEET PG candidates on social media. These fraudsters claimed they could provide the NEET PG exam questions, allegedly obtained through official channels, in exchange for a significant sum of money.
“NBEMS has filed a police complaint against these fraudsters and their accomplices for attempting to mislead NEET-PG aspirants by offering questions for the NEET-PG 2024 in return for a considerable amount of money,” the board stated in its caution notice.
The board warned candidates to ignore such misleading claims and stressed that any involvement in these fraudulent activities, whether direct or indirect, would be dealt with appropriately. However, it should be noted that neither the NBE nor the Health Ministry cited a paper leak as the reason for postponing the exam.
The ministry stated that the decision to postpone the exam was made in light of recent allegations concerning the integrity of “certain competitive examinations.” These examinations include the UGC NET, the national-level eligibility test for Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant Professorship, and PhD admissions, which was canceled due to a paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating this matter.
Another national-level competitive examination, the CSIR NET, was also postponed just days before its scheduled date due to “logistical reasons” and “unavoidable circumstances.”
