Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday reviewed preparations for the NEET-PG 2026, directing all agencies to ensure the examination is conducted in a smooth, secure, transparent and technology-driven manner. He further cautioned the candidates against the rumours and fraudulent claims of question paper leaks.
Notably, the NEET-PG 2026 examination is scheduled for August 30 and will take place in a single shift across approximately 340 cities and over 1,300 examination centres. According to a statement released by the Health Ministry, a total of 2,73,183 candidates have registered for the examination, an increase of over 12.5 per cent compared to the previous year.
Nadda Reviews NEET-PG 2026 Preparedness
During the review meeting, Nadda assessed the preparedness of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), technology partners and other stakeholders. During the meeting, the Union minister was briefed on examination logistics, candidate facilitation measures, the security framework and technology-enabled interventions introduced for this year’s examination.
Nadda emphasised the need for every effort to ensure a fair, transparent, and candidate-friendly examination while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and security.
He also urged aspirants not to be misled by rumours or fraudulent claims regarding the examination.
Question Paper Highly Secured
Union minister JP Nadda, during the meeting, said the final question paper is selected through a highly secure, encrypted and time-bound process shortly before the examination begins, with multiple technological and operational safeguards ensuring its confidentiality until the scheduled start time.
Any claim of prior access to the question paper is completely false and intended to mislead candidates, he said, advising aspirants to rely only on official communications issued by NBEMS and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and to report any suspicious activities or attempts at unfair practices.
Aadhaar-Based Verification
To strengthen authentication, Aadhaar-based verification has been incorporated during both the application process and on the day of the examination. Iris-based biometric authentication will be used wherever fingerprint verification is unsuccessful, the statement said.
The minister also reviewed the multi-layered security arrangements, including advance sealing and verification of examination centres, CCTV surveillance, biometric authentication, candidate frisking, deployment of signal jammers, dynamic computer allocation, live monitoring through central and regional command centres, and real-time supervision by independent observers and appraisers.
(With agency inputs)