New Delhi, 21 June (H.S.):

More than 22 lakh medical aspirants are set to appear for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) re-examination on Sunday, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) implementing extensive security and logistical measures to ensure a fair, transparent and glitch-free examination process across the country.

The re-examination has been scheduled from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm. Candidates eligible for compensatory time, including persons with disabilities, will be allowed to complete the examination until 6:20 pm.

The re-test follows the cancellation of the earlier NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3 after allegations of a question paper leak triggered widespread protests and concerns over the credibility of the country's largest medical entrance examination. The Centre subsequently ordered a fresh examination, stating that protecting the integrity of the selection process was its highest priority.

Candidates have been instructed to report to their examination centres between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm with their admit cards, a valid photo identity card and two passport-sized photographs. No candidate will be permitted to enter the examination centre after the prescribed reporting time.

To safeguard the examination process, the NTA has introduced one of the most comprehensive security arrangements in the history of the examination. NEET-UG 2026 will be conducted at 5,440 examination centres across 551 cities in India and 14 international centres in English and 12 Indian languages.

More than 95,000 examination rooms have been equipped with CCTV surveillance, while over 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras will be monitored in real time by authorities at the national, state and ministry levels. In addition, more than 51,000 signal jammers have been deployed to prevent electronic malpractice.

The question papers are being transported under enhanced security, including airlifting by the Indian Air Force, while the Department of Posts and banking institutions are coordinating the secure movement and storage of confidential examination material.

Each examination room will have two invigilators, and every centre will be supported by additional examination staff. Nearly 39,000 frisking personnel and more than 48,000 biometric verification officials have been deployed. Candidate verification will include biometric authentication supported by face recognition technology to strengthen identity checks while reducing waiting time.

A dedicated Centre Systems Officer has also been stationed at every examination centre to monitor CCTV systems and immediately address any technical issues.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting earlier this week and directed officials to ensure that the re-examination is conducted with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and efficiency. Senior officers from the Ministry of Education have been deployed across states to coordinate operations and report directly to a central command centre headed by the NTA Director General.

The NTA also conducted a nationwide mock drill on Saturday to verify the functioning of CCTV cameras, signal jammers, biometric systems, frisking procedures and examination logistics before Sunday's examination.

On the eve of the examination, a candidate from Nagpur reported receiving an admit card showing an examination centre in Abu Dhabi despite selecting cities in Maharashtra. Following an inquiry, the NTA said the change had been made through the candidate's registered login before the centre was subsequently corrected to Nagpur, adding that no student would be allowed to miss the examination because of an administrative issue.

The agency has further cautioned students and parents against believing rumours or unverified claims regarding paper leaks or examination malpractice, urging them to rely only on official communications for authentic information.

The outcome of Sunday's re-examination is expected to play a crucial role in restoring confidence in India's highly competitive medical entrance examination system after one of its most significant challenges in recent years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar