Politics · India Bureau
Nilekani panel to submit NEET reform recommendations by month-end
India's government assured the Supreme Court on Friday that a high-level panel chaired by tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani will present its initial findings on structural reforms to the national medical entrance examination by the end of this month.
LSN India ·
The Solicitor General informed a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that the Nilekali-led committee has completed extensive consultations and is preparing to file its first interim report imminently. The panel has engaged with members of a previous committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, incorporating their recommendations into its deliberations.
The Supreme Court directed the joint secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training, who is coordinating with the Nilekani panel, to file a detailed affidavit outlining the measures undertaken thus far. The bench emphasised the critical importance of establishing permanent institutional mechanisms to oversee the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, rather than relying on ad-hoc arrangements.
Justices Narasimha and Aradhe stressed that lasting structural reforms and institutional permanency should form the foundation of any recommendations. The court's intervention underscores ongoing concerns about the administration and conduct of NEET, India's gateway examination for medical education, which has faced periodic controversies over its implementation and accessibility.