Govt may use IAF aircraft to transport question papers for NEET retest: Report

NEW DELHI: The Centre is mulling over the possibility of using the Indian Air Force for the transportation of NEET-UG papers to ensure the foolproof conduct of the retest on June 21, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.This comes after a high-level meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh. Interestingly, the meeting was also attended by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.The meeting focused on the entire examination process, from the setting and printing of question papers to transportation and security arrangements.“The ministers and senior officials discussed whether IAF aircraft could be used for transportation of the NEET-UG test papers,” sources told PTI.“However, as of now, no final decision has been taken and the option will be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a final view,” they added.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also believed to have been personally monitoring the preparations for the June 21 retest, and he is being updated on every detail related to the examination process.The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, was conducted on May 3 across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was conducted by the NTA.According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractices was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the exam was held.The NTA said the inputs were shared with central agencies the next morning for “independent verification and necessary action”.On May 12, the NTA cancelled NEET-UG amid allegations of a paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.The CBI registered a case based on a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.The central probe agency formed special teams to investigate the case, conducted searches across the country and made prompt arrests.So far, 13 accused have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar.The investigation conducted so far has revealed the actual source of the question paper leak, the CBI had said earlier.