NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare will next week examine the conduct of the NEET medical entrance examination and review the functioning of key regulatory institutions under the Ministry of Health, amid continuing scrutiny of the controversy surrounding the national medical entrance test.
The panel, headed by Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav, will meet on July 16 to discuss the “organisational structure, mandate and functional proficiency of regulatory institutions” under the Health Ministry, along with the conduct of NEET examinations under the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019. A day earlier, on July 15, the committee will deliberate on the affordability and accessibility of healthcare in both the public and private sectors.
The meeting marks the third parliamentary review of the contentious NEET issue. Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports and the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances had also examined the matter, summoning senior officials from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the National Testing Agency (NTA), the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the alleged paper leak.
The two panels discussed measures to strengthen the NTA’s examination processes and prevent future leaks. Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh and NMC Chairperson were among the officials who appeared before the committees.
The renewed parliamentary scrutiny follows the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination held on May 3 after allegations of a paper leak. The examination was subsequently re-conducted on June 21. The Health Committee’s review is expected to focus not only on the examination process but also on whether existing regulatory institutions under the Health Ministry are adequately equipped to oversee high-stakes medical admissions and ensure the credibility of the country’s largest medical entrance test.