Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday admitted lapses in the NEET exam 2026, which was cancelled following allegations of paper leak. However, he said that the central government acted
promptly, corrected the lapses and conducted the NEET re-exam successfully.
Following the exam cancellation, Pradhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that the future of the students should not be compromised.
“We accept that there were lapses on our side and we corrected them,” Pradhan told CNN-News18.
“My message to NEET aspirants and their families is ‘be positive and believe in the country’s system’. PM Modi is doing a lot. We have brought the system on track. I accept we made mistakes in the past,” he added.
#Exclusive | The Prime Minister made it clear that the future of the students should not be compromised: @dpradhanbjp, Education Minister @payalmehta100 | #Neet2026 #Neetreexamination #DharmendraPradhan #Education pic.twitter.com/T2l7NQgNHX
— News18 (@CNNnews18) June 24, 2026
The minister said all states contributed a lot to conducting the NEET exam successfully.
Pradhan said the government will take strict action against “paper mafia”, adding that a fast-track court will be set up to expedite the trial process for cases.
“This government is very sensitive towards the youth. We will do everything to secure their future,” he said.
Responding to the opposition’s attacks on the Centre for using the armed forces during the exam, Pradhan said, “What is the problem if the Indian Air Force and CAPF were used for the youth of India?”
The Education Minister accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to create fear in the minds of the youth.
“Opposition and Rahul Gandhi should not do politics. Rahul Gandhi tried to create fear in the minds of the youth. Rahul Gandhi misled the NEET aspirants. Don’t mislead and put fear in the minds of the new generation. We all have a responsibility towards them,” he said.
“I don’t want to indulge in politics when the matter concerns the future of the students, but the opposition’s decision to hold a rally in Kota just days before the examination was not appropriate,” he added.
In a statement, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said more than 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. The exam was conducted in 13 languages, including Hindi and English.
The agency said Aadhaar-based biometric and face authentication, CCTV surveillance, jammers and two-layer frisking with the support of state police were deployed at examination centres.
