NTA puts off Joint CSIR-UGC-NET while NEET protest, Centre notifies law with ₹1 crore fine: 10 facts

In the wake of a huge controversy over the alleged malpractice in the administration of the NEET-UG examination and the scrapping of the UGC-NET entrance examination the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday postponed the June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission National Eligibility test. The Joint CSIR-UGC-NET is a test conducted with the view to identifying candidates for a junior research fellowship and for admission in Ph. D in science programs.

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The Centre on Friday promulgated a tough law for the elimination of unfair means and unfair practices in competitive tests. These offences attract severe penal consequences for individuals involved in these acts with imprisonment not stretching beyond ten years and a fine extending to one crore rupees.

Here are 10 points on the NEET, UGC-NET paper leak row:

1. The National Testing Agency was recently in trouble for canceling the UGC-NET exam after a paper leak was found on the internet, it also postponed the CSIR-UGC-NET in the days citing unavoidable reasons and some logistical issues. The Joint CSIR UGC NET Examination June 2024 was previously planned to be conducted from 25. 06. 2024 to 27. 06. 2024 is postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and some logistic problems Accordingly, the revised schedule for conducting this examination will be released later through the official website only said NTA.
2. Regarding the development, the BJP-led Central government came under fire from the Congress. “Another NTA exam has been rescheduled. It’s the CSIR-UGC-NET this time. Senior Congress politician Jairam Ramesh stated, “It’s obvious that NTA has evolved into Narendra’s Trauma Agency for Youth.”
3. The computer-based CSIR-UGC-NET exam is offered twice a year in December and June, covering five subjects: Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences. The score opens doors for admission to all prestigious universities, such as Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and IITs, that offer PhD programs in these fields. The exam was scheduled to be taken by about two lakh pupils. Over 1.75 lakh students took the test in December of last year.
4. Meanwhile, on Friday night, the personnel ministry notified the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The law’s provisions were operative on June 21, four months after President Droupadi Murmu gave his approval. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby appoints the 21st day of June 2024, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification states.
5. On February 9, the Rajya Sabha enacted the legislation. On February 6, the Lok Sabha approved it. On February 12, the President gave it his blessing. The rule applies to exams administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Railways, the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and banking recruitment exams. According to the law, anyone who commits organized crimes connected to cheating could be sentenced to five to ten years in jail and a minimum punishment of ₹one crore.
6. A CBI investigation into the UGC-NET exam cancellation has been mandated by the BJP administration. The exam was canceled, according to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Thursday, after the question paper was discovered on the darknet by the authorities. The paper was also being circulated on Telegram, he added.
7. He asserted that NTA’s institutional failure was the cause of the paper leak. A group of specialists appointed by the government will suggest changes to the testing organization.
8. “The NTA’s institutional weakness is the paper leak. He declared, “We are promising you that there will be a reform committee and that steps will be taken.
9. On Saturday, the Supreme Court declined to halt the NEET exam counseling. As many as 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720 points in one of the most difficult exams in the nation, leading prospective medical students to accuse abnormalities in the exam’s administration. Additionally, there is resentment toward the grace marks. Over 1500 students have been invited to retake the medical admission exam by the agency. The authorities have arrested four people in Bihar, including a medical aspirant, for the alleged paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
10. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a congresswoman, chastised the government for allegedly manipulating competitive examinations. 43 recruitment exam papers have been leaked nationwide during the past five years. Under the BJP administration, paper leaks have turned into a national issue in our country that has already destroyed the future of millions of young people. India is the world’s youngest nation. We are the country with the most young people. She claimed that the BJP government is weakening these young people rather than empowering them.

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