NEET UG, UGC NET Row: Centre forms high-level committee of experts headed by ex-ISRO Chief, know the members

The Union Education Ministry officially announced the constitution of a high-level committee of experts that will be headed by a former chief of the ISRO. The development comes amid the uproar concerning the alleged paper leak case in NEET UG, and the cancellation and postponement of the UGC NET 2024.

In an official notice, the ministry stated that the decision to constitute a High-Level Committee of Experts has been taken ‘to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through National Testing Agency (NTA).’

Also read: NEET UG Row: Bihar Police detain 6 from Jharkhand's Deoghar in NEET 'paper leak' case, details here

It further said that recommendations will be made on the following:

1. Reform in the mechanism of the examination process.
2. Improvement in Data Security protocols.
3. Structure and functioning of the National Testing Agency.

As per the ministry, the Chairman of the 7-member high-level committee will be Dr K. Radhakrishnan, the former chairman, of ISRO and Chairman BoG, IIT Kanpur.

The other six members of the committee are:

• Dr Randeep Guleria (Former Director, of AIIMS Delhi)
• Prof. B J Rao (Vice Chancellor, Central University of Hyderabad)
• Prof. Ramamurthy K (Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras)
• Pankaj Bansal (Co-Founder, People Strong and Board Member- Karmayogi Bharat)
• Prof. Aditya Mittal (Dean of Student Affairs, IIT Delhi)
• Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India)

Also read: Bihar Police obtain reference question papers of NEET exam, plan to tally with seized documents

The ministry said that the Committee would submit its report to the Ministry within two months from the date of issue of this order. Additionally, the Committee can co-opt any Subject Matter Expert to assist them.

Notably, the significant development comes a day after the centre announced the enforcement of the "Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024" which aims to prevent unfair practices in public examinations and common entrance tests conducted nationwide.

The law prohibits the premature disclosure of confidential exam-related information and unauthorized individuals from entering exam centers to cause disturbances. The law entails stringent punitive provisions for those involved in these offenses, including a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to ₹1 crore.

Also read: Scrapping of exam or re-test for a few, what people said in the HT NEET UG Poll, netizens react to fiasco

Its primary objective is to curb the use of “unfair means” in public examinations and enhance “greater transparency, fairness, and credibility.”

Here is the post by the Ministry of Education: