Center forms panel to review NEET results, FORDA blames private medical college lobby

Amid the allegations of ‘inflation of marks’ leading to 67 candidates sharing first rank in NEET 2024, the education ministry has set up a four-member panel to review the grace marks awarded to more than 1,500 candidates in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday said the panel will submit its recommendations within a week.

Meanwhile, blaming private medical college lobby, FORDA said the annual influence of the private medical college lobby in India amounts to ₹10 billion, raising concerns about the monetization of MBBS education

 “The panel headed by a former UPSC chairman will submit its recommendations within a week and the results of these candidates might be revised,” said NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh. He also said that the awarding of grace marks has not impacted the qualifying criteria of the exam and the review of results of the affected candidates will not impact the admission process.

 After the results were announced by NTA on June 4, concerns have arisen over the unexpectedly high cut-off scores, compensatory marks and the number of candidates achieving perfect scores.  “Regarding declaration of NEET UG Results on 4th June, instead of 14th June as announced in the Information Bulletin, NTA has taken a position that since the results were ready by June 4, 2024, there was no reason to delay the announcement by another ten days. Moreover, NTA has been working towards improving the result declaration time from year to year. As regards the Cut offs, they vary depending on relative performance of candidates”, said NTA in a statement.

“The annual influence of the private medical college lobby in India amounts to ₹10 billion, raising concerns about the monetization of MBBS education. Recent statements by the UG Medical Education Board of the NMC aim to discourage students from studying abroad, while simultaneously imposing stringent sanctions on FMG students, exacerbating their financial burdens. Allegations of paper leaks in NEET exams further complicate the situation, suggesting a corrupt cycle that needs immediate attention”, said Dr Aviral Mathur, President, Federation of Resident Doctors Association of India (FORDA)

“The #NeetUG24Controversy continues to escalate, with widespread calls for justice and transparency. Despite significant media coverage, protests from students and parents, and political and legal challenges, both @MoHFW_INDIA and @NTA_Exams have remained silent. Historical parallels to the 2015 NEET fraud in Haryana highlight a lack of progress over the past nine years”, said FORDA on X.