New Delhi

Congress leader and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women and Youth Affairs, Digvijaya Singh on Monday said members of the panel were united in their concerns regarding the conduct of NEET-UG and CBSE examinations, stressing that the discussion transcended political affiliations and focused on improving the examination system.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of the committee, Singh said all members shared a common objective of ensuring transparency, credibility and efficiency in the country's examination framework.

He also launched a sharp attack on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging administrative failures in handling examination-related issues. According to Singh, the situation had become serious enough for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally monitor developments. He asserted that the minister should either resign or be removed from office.

Expressing confidence in the ongoing efforts to address the concerns, Singh said the committee hoped the matter would be resolved effectively under the Prime Minister's direct supervision.

The parliamentary panel met earlier in the day to deliberate on issues related to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the broader debate over traditional pen-and-paper examinations versus computer-based testing.

Senior officials, including NTA Director General Abhishek Singh and Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, participated in the discussions. Representatives from the Health Ministry were also present. Although members of the United Doctors Front had been invited, they did not make a formal presentation before the committee.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh clarified reports circulating in sections of the media regarding the committee's deliberations. He stated that neither the committee nor Digvijaya Singh had offered a "clean chit" to the Prime Minister or the existing examination system.

Ramesh said Singh had merely noted that the Solicitor General informed the committee that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring preparations for the NEET re-examination. He added that, in the interest of students, everyone hoped the examination would be conducted smoothly.

At the same time, Ramesh criticised the government's handling of examination-related controversies, alleging shortcomings in the investigation of the 2024 NEET-UG paper leak and questioning official claims regarding the 2026 leak controversy. He also accused the authorities of failing to effectively manage examinations conducted by both the NTA and the CBSE.

The parliamentary committee is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday to discuss concerns surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for evaluating Class 12 answer scripts. The panel will also examine issues related to the implementation of the three-language formula in Classes 9 and 10.

Last week, another parliamentary panel stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of the NEET-UG examination process while reviewing the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the paper leak case.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination, which was cancelled following allegations of a leak, has been rescheduled for June 21. The CBI has arrested several individuals as part of its investigation into the case.

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Separately, amid concerns over its digital evaluation system, the CBSE recently stated that it had addressed vulnerabilities identified in the OnMark platform used by its service provider and had engaged cybersecurity specialists to strengthen the system's security and reliability.