VIJAYAWADA, JUNE 16 :  Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji urged the Central government to initiate a CBI inquiry into the irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2024) that took place this year.

Kolanukonda Shivaji demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General should be sacked immediately. The Congress leader demanded a CBI inquiry into the NEET scam under the supervision of the Supreme Court. He also demanded that compensation should be paid to the students, who have lost one academic year due to the irregularities.

The ultra competitive exam for entry into medical colleges across the country was conducted on May 5 and the results were scheduled for June 14. However, the scorecards were announced on June 4, in which 67 students topped with 100 percent marks 720 out of 720. While 1,563 students were given grace marks allegedly for time constraints faced at a few examination centres.

Talking to the media here on Sunday, the Congress leader lamented that the Modi government is playing with the future of students. Such irregularities in NEET would be detrimental to the future of lakhs of students, he said.

Finding fault with the Prime Minister for not taking steps to conduct an inquiry into the NEET-UG 2024 irregularities, the Congress leader slammed that the Modi for being abroad to take part in G7 meetings while the future of lakhs of students were in doldrums and agitations were witnessed across the nation.

Giving grace marks is not the solution to the problem, he opined. “Colluding with the coaching centres, question papers of NEET were sold,” he alleged, besides, he added, “Many irregularities including appearing in the examination by someone else, instead of the student, took place in the NEET examinations.”

The future of over 24 lakh students, who appeared in the NEET examination, has become uncertain,” the APCC vice-president regretted, adding that the “Modi led government cannot escape by holding the NTA responsible for the irregularities”.

The Congress leader also condemned the statement of Union Education Minister Dhamendra Pradhan a few days back when he gave a clean chit to the NTA stating that irregularities did not take place in the NEET examinations.(UNI)