<p>New Delhi: Mock drills were held at all NEET-UG centres on Saturday to ensure smooth conduct of the nationwide medical entrance exam, according to an official source.</p>.<p>The crucial exam is scheduled for May 4 at 5,453 centres in over 500 cities across the country. This year, over 22.7 lakh candidates have registered for the test.</p>.<p>"There will be three layers of monitoring on the exam day – at the district, state, and Centre levels," a Ministry of Education (MoE) source said.</p>.<p>Most of the centres this year are located in government and government-aided schools, colleges, universities, and institutions.</p>.Perfect score, powerful stand: Bengal ISC topper Srijani drops surname for social justice.<p>"To ensure smooth and secure conduct of the exam, mock drills are being conducted at all centres. These drills will help test readiness in terms of functionality of mobile signal jammers; availability of adequate manpower for frisking; and biometric authentication procedures," the source said.</p>.<p>The ministry has said that candidates found indulging in unfair means – before, during, or after the examination – will be booked under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and penalised accordingly.</p>.<p>"The penalties include debarment of up to three years from appearing in NTA exams (based on severity) and criminal and/or legal action under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024," said the source.</p>.<p>The strict measures come a year after alleged irregularities including paper leak were flagged in NEET which put the integrity of the exam under scanner.</p>.<p>In a crackdown on fake claims about the NEET-UG, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has identified 106 Telegram and 16 Instagram channels involved in spreading false information.</p>.<p>The NTA's dedicated portal for receiving such concerns has flagged more than 1,500 claims of alleged paper leaks for the upcoming medical entrance exam.</p>.<p>In a decisive move to protect the integrity of the NEET (UG) 2025 examination process, the agency had earlier this week initiated action against certain fraudulent Telegram and Instagram channels that claim to have access to the NEET (UG) 2025 question paper.</p>.<p>"These cases have been formally escalated to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs for further legal and investigative action," a source had said.</p>.<p>The NTA has requested Telegram and Instagram to immediately take down these channels to prevent the spread of falsehood and unnecessary panic among the aspirants.</p>.<p>"Telegram and Instagram have been urged to share the details of the administrators and creators of these groups with law-enforcement agencies for prompt investigation and prosecution," the source said.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Education (MoE) is conducting a series of meetings with district magistrates and superintendents of police from all states and Union territories to ensure that there are no lapses in the upcoming medical entrance exam.</p>.<p>The ministry is implementing a comprehensive plan in view of last year's alleged irregularities in the exam.</p>.<p>Transporting question papers under police escort, monitoring coaching centres to identify organised cheating rackets, multi-layered frisking by district police in addition to the NTA-designated security at the centres are among the steps being taken by the NTA, led by the MoE.</p>.<p>Under scrutiny over last year's irregularities in the NEET-UG and PhD entrance exam NET, the Centre set up a panel to ensure "transparent, smooth and fair" conduct of exams held by the NTA.</p>.<p>The UGC-NET (University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test) was cancelled last year as the ministry received inputs that its integrity was compromised.</p>.<p>Both matters are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).</p>.<p>Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET, NEET-PG -- were cancelled at the last moment as a preemptive step. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Mock drills were held at all NEET-UG centres on Saturday to ensure smooth conduct of the nationwide medical entrance exam, according to an official source.</p>.<p>The crucial exam is scheduled for May 4 at 5,453 centres in over 500 cities across the country. This year, over 22.7 lakh candidates have registered for the test.</p>.<p>"There will be three layers of monitoring on the exam day – at the district, state, and Centre levels," a Ministry of Education (MoE) source said.</p>.<p>Most of the centres this year are located in government and government-aided schools, colleges, universities, and institutions.</p>.Perfect score, powerful stand: Bengal ISC topper Srijani drops surname for social justice.<p>"To ensure smooth and secure conduct of the exam, mock drills are being conducted at all centres. These drills will help test readiness in terms of functionality of mobile signal jammers; availability of adequate manpower for frisking; and biometric authentication procedures," the source said.</p>.<p>The ministry has said that candidates found indulging in unfair means – before, during, or after the examination – will be booked under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and penalised accordingly.</p>.<p>"The penalties include debarment of up to three years from appearing in NTA exams (based on severity) and criminal and/or legal action under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024," said the source.</p>.<p>The strict measures come a year after alleged irregularities including paper leak were flagged in NEET which put the integrity of the exam under scanner.</p>.<p>In a crackdown on fake claims about the NEET-UG, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has identified 106 Telegram and 16 Instagram channels involved in spreading false information.</p>.<p>The NTA's dedicated portal for receiving such concerns has flagged more than 1,500 claims of alleged paper leaks for the upcoming medical entrance exam.</p>.<p>In a decisive move to protect the integrity of the NEET (UG) 2025 examination process, the agency had earlier this week initiated action against certain fraudulent Telegram and Instagram channels that claim to have access to the NEET (UG) 2025 question paper.</p>.<p>"These cases have been formally escalated to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs for further legal and investigative action," a source had said.</p>.<p>The NTA has requested Telegram and Instagram to immediately take down these channels to prevent the spread of falsehood and unnecessary panic among the aspirants.</p>.<p>"Telegram and Instagram have been urged to share the details of the administrators and creators of these groups with law-enforcement agencies for prompt investigation and prosecution," the source said.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Education (MoE) is conducting a series of meetings with district magistrates and superintendents of police from all states and Union territories to ensure that there are no lapses in the upcoming medical entrance exam.</p>.<p>The ministry is implementing a comprehensive plan in view of last year's alleged irregularities in the exam.</p>.<p>Transporting question papers under police escort, monitoring coaching centres to identify organised cheating rackets, multi-layered frisking by district police in addition to the NTA-designated security at the centres are among the steps being taken by the NTA, led by the MoE.</p>.<p>Under scrutiny over last year's irregularities in the NEET-UG and PhD entrance exam NET, the Centre set up a panel to ensure "transparent, smooth and fair" conduct of exams held by the NTA.</p>.<p>The UGC-NET (University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test) was cancelled last year as the ministry received inputs that its integrity was compromised.</p>.<p>Both matters are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).</p>.<p>Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET, NEET-PG -- were cancelled at the last moment as a preemptive step. </p>