New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said the Centre will take stringent action against what he called an “education mafia” for undermining the integrity of the NEET examination.
In an interview to an English news channel, Pradhan acknowledged that irregularities had occurred and said the question paper leak was “true”. He said the government would ensure severe punishment for those accused.
Pradhan said all cases linked to the NEET paper leak would be taken up in fast-track courts so that the matter is dealt with quickly. He added that no one involved in the leak would be allowed to escape.
The minister also admitted that the National Testing Agency had failed in this instance. Separately, he pointed to multiple issues, including technical problems in the CBSE answer-sheet evaluation system, and said these were being addressed with the help of IIT experts.
He said an expert group was assisting CBSE to resolve the problems. Pradhan also noted that over 11 lakh students have already received copies of their answer sheets, while more than four lakh candidates have applied for re-evaluation. He further alleged that Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi frequently “insults the country”.
