Education ministry enhances security protocols to avoid paper leaks ahead of NEET-UG 2025

In preparation for the upcoming NEET-UG medical entrance exam, the Ministry of Education has initiated a series of meetings with district magistrates (DMs) and superintendents of police (SPs) from across India to ensure there are no lapses in the exam’s conduct.

The exam, set for May 4, will take place in over 550 cities and 5,000 centers nationwide.

After last year’s controversies, including allegations of paper leaks, the ministry is putting in place a comprehensive strategy to prevent any irregularities during this year's exam.

"To ensure the smooth, fair, and secure conduct of NEET-UG, a series of meetings have been held with DMs and SPs from all states and UTs. District-level coordination committees are being fully activated to manage logistics, security, and crisis response," a source said.

Enhanced security measures include multi-layered frisking by district police, alongside NTA-designated security at exam centers.

The transport of sensitive materials such as question papers and OMR sheets will be escorted by police.

Monitoring of coaching centers and digital platforms will also be stepped up to counter cheating networks.

Mandatory inspections will be conducted by duty magistrates at all centers, while DMs and SPs will visit sites in person to ensure thorough preparation.

Amid concerns raised over last year's irregularities in NEET-UG and PhD entrance exams, including paper leaks, the center had formed a panel to ensure the integrity of exams conducted by the NTA.

The UGC-NET exam was cancelled after doubts about its fairness, and both the NEET-UG and UGC-NET cases are now under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Additionally, the CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG exams were cancelled as a precautionary measure.