New Indian Express: Delhi: Friday, 18 July 2025.
According to a response to an RTI query, the rescheduled exam held in August 2024 ended up costing more than the original exam scheduled for June.
The cancellation of the
NEET PG 2024 exam has come under sharp scrutiny after it was revealed that the
decision cost the government significantly. According to a response to an RTI
query, the rescheduled exam held in August 2024 ended up costing more than the
original exam scheduled for June.
The sudden cancellation of the NEET PG exam in June last year led to a huge financial loss to the government as the rescheduled test cost more than the original amount. According to a response from the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences to an RTI query, the decision to scrap the exam just hours before its scheduled start in June 2024 resulted in a loss of more than Rs 11 crores.
According to the RTI response, the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which oversees the NEET PG exam, paid a total of Rs 11.02 crore to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for conducting the exam in June 2024. However, the rescheduled exam, held in August, required a total reorganization and a further Rs 13.24 crore expenditure. This brings the total cost for conducting the exam to more than Rs 24 crore.
The cancellation was reportedly a precautionary measure, taken by the Union Health Ministry in the wake of ongoing controversies surrounding the NEET exam and the UGC NET exam from the previous year. However, the decision to scrap the exam, only hours before it was supposed to begin, left countless students in a state of chaos. Candidates were forced to navigate last-minute changes.
Dr Aman Kaushik, who filed the RTI query, said the move had financial implications that also placed undue stress on students. “The government must take necessary action to prevent these instances in the future,” he commented.
Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), said the abrupt cancellation was poorly handled.
“Several doctors’ associations had appealed for the exam to be postponed well in advance, but those warnings were ignored. Many students had already reached their centers when the cancellation was announced,” he said.“Now we learn that a huge payment was still made despite the chaos. If these funds aren’t being treated as public money, they’re being used without oversight. This kind of mismanagement raises serious concerns, including the possibility of corruption within the system,” he added.
According to a response to an RTI query, the rescheduled exam held in August 2024 ended up costing more than the original exam scheduled for June.
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| The sudden cancellation of the NEET PG exam in June last year led to a huge financial loss to the government as the rescheduled test cost more than the original amount Photo | ANI |
The sudden cancellation of the NEET PG exam in June last year led to a huge financial loss to the government as the rescheduled test cost more than the original amount. According to a response from the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences to an RTI query, the decision to scrap the exam just hours before its scheduled start in June 2024 resulted in a loss of more than Rs 11 crores.
According to the RTI response, the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which oversees the NEET PG exam, paid a total of Rs 11.02 crore to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for conducting the exam in June 2024. However, the rescheduled exam, held in August, required a total reorganization and a further Rs 13.24 crore expenditure. This brings the total cost for conducting the exam to more than Rs 24 crore.
The cancellation was reportedly a precautionary measure, taken by the Union Health Ministry in the wake of ongoing controversies surrounding the NEET exam and the UGC NET exam from the previous year. However, the decision to scrap the exam, only hours before it was supposed to begin, left countless students in a state of chaos. Candidates were forced to navigate last-minute changes.
Dr Aman Kaushik, who filed the RTI query, said the move had financial implications that also placed undue stress on students. “The government must take necessary action to prevent these instances in the future,” he commented.
Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), said the abrupt cancellation was poorly handled.
“Several doctors’ associations had appealed for the exam to be postponed well in advance, but those warnings were ignored. Many students had already reached their centers when the cancellation was announced,” he said.“Now we learn that a huge payment was still made despite the chaos. If these funds aren’t being treated as public money, they’re being used without oversight. This kind of mismanagement raises serious concerns, including the possibility of corruption within the system,” he added.
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