The Assam government is set to request the Centre to tighten security at the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG) centres, including implementing biometric verification at the entrance, amid concerns that some high-scoring candidates lack sufficient academic knowledge.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement on Sunday, March 9, after a Cabinet meeting, as reported by MoneyControl. Sarma highlighted that faculty members at medical colleges in Assam have raised alarms over the competence of students who secure high marks in the entrance exam.
“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 said.
Findings from the police investigation revealed that most NEET centres in Assam are located in private institutions rather than government schools or colleges. Sarma stated that the state had previously refrained from interference since NEET is conducted at the national level, but the Cabinet has now resolved to push for three key reforms.
The first proposal is to restrict NEET exam centres to government schools. The second request is for the National Testing Agency (NTA) and Ministry of Education to place NEET under the direct oversight of district commissioners and superintendents of police.
Lastly, the state wants mandatory biometric verification of candidates before they enter the examination halls. These measures, Sarma asserted, would ensure greater transparency in the medical entrance exam process, MoneyControl reports.
The chief secretary has been directed to communicate these demands to the NTA director general and Union education secretary, while Sarma himself will take up the matter with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Additionally, the Assam Cabinet has approved the revocation of the reservation quota for students from Char areas (riverine vegetative islands) under the Assam MBBS/BDS Rules 2017, effective from the 2025-26 academic session. The state will also amend laws related to Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS), mandating national security clearance from the Home Department for new healthcare institutions, including nursing and dental colleges. Furthermore, the government plans to introduce a bill regulating private coaching institutes, citing their rapid expansion in the state.
Beyond education, the Cabinet has allocated land in Kamrup and Morigaon for mega industrial parks to boost Assam’s industrial ecosystem. A new initiative will also establish Accredited Driver Training Centres with automated driving test tracks in each of the state’s 126 constituencies.
Meanwhile, Sarma announced that Assam’s highest civilian award, ‘Assam Baibhav’, will be conferred upon retired Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita. Awards for ‘Assam Saurav’ and ‘Assam Gaurav’ will also be presented at a ceremony on March 30.
