Today, Monday, July 22, Congress MP (Member of Parliament) Hibi Eden termed the irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance test, Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam as the "biggest scam" and demanded that a high-level committee be constituted to look into incidents of paper leaks. This was stated in a report by PTI.
"In recent years, India has witnessed a troubling rise in the competitive exam paper leaks, undermining the integrity and credibility of the education and recruitment system," Ernakulam MP said in Lok Sabha.
In addition, the MP also said, "According to government data, 70 examination papers have been leaked in the last seven years in 15 states."
States like Tamil Nadu (TN), and many other regional parties have raised concerns about the integrity of these exams and they want these exams to be cancelled, said Ernakulam MP.
The Congress MP raised concerns about the irregularities reported from different centres where the NEET exam had been conducted.
"The NTA (National Testing Agency) faced widespread allegations of irregularities and paper leaks, notably with 67 top-ranking candidates scoring 99.99 percentile, including six from a single examination centre in Haryana. Who owns these centres?" he said.
"In Gujarat, the NTA had selected a school in Godhara as an examination centre, despite the fact that Gujarat High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 35 lakhs on the organisation that runs these schools. What credibility do these exams have? Gujarat schools, Haryana schools, are all under scrutiny," he said.
He called it one of the "biggest scams", and demanded a probe.
"This is one of the biggest scams the country has seen, the country has to constitute a high-level committee to enquire about the allegations," he said.
Speaker Om Birla said the matter is being probed and added that India has the "best" examination system in the world.
"The Supreme Court and CBI are probing the issue. The Centre has brought a Bill. Why are you raising the issue then? Our system is so good, our examination system is the best in the world. Why are you raking it up?" Birla said.
The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions related to the controversy-ridden medical entrance exam, NEET-UG 2024.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe into alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam following a directive from the Union Education Ministry.
In February, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, which has provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, was bought into force by Parliament.
