Exam cancellations are happening due to the incompetence of Prime Minister: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday alleged that exam cancellations are happening every day in the country due to the “total incompetence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the “people around him”.

The scathing attack on the Prime Minister came on a day when the NEET-PG exam was postponed as a “precautionary measure” in the wake of recent allegations over the integrity of certain exams. The exam would take place on Sunday.

A day earlier, the June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (CSIR-UGC-NET) was postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistical issues. On Wednesday, UGC-NET was canceled following signals that the integrity of the exam had been compromised.

Opposition parties have also claimed irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam, the results of which were announced by NTA on June 4. An investigation into the alleged irregularities in this exam has been handed over to the CBI.

“No day is complete without news of the cancellation of an exam due to the total incompetence of the non-biological Prime Minister and those around him. The last exam to be postponed is NEET-PG, which was scheduled to take place tomorrow. Ramesh said in a message on ‘X’.

Facing criticism over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, the Center on Saturday dismissed National Testing Agency (NTA) director general Subodh Singh and set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the functioning of the agency and recommend exam reforms.

However, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan denied any leak of the CSIR-UGC-NET paper and said the exam had been postponed due to logistical reasons. He also asserted that anyone involved or responsible for irregularities in NEET-UG will not be spared.

First print: June 22, 2024 | 11:39 PM IST