Using Air Force to transport NEET question papers would reflect governance failure: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Friday criticised the Centre over reports that the Indian Air Force IAF could be involved in transporting question papers for the NEETUG reexamination claiming that such a move would amount to an admission of governance failureThe Rajya Sabha MP questioned why the armed forces should be required to step in for what he described as a failure of examination management by the National Testing Agency NTA and the Union Education MinistryRaut targets Centre over reported proposalIn a post on social media platform X Raut said the armed forces were meant to safeguard the countryrsquos borders and national security not compensate for shortcomings in the administration of competitive examinationsldquoThis is a shameful admission of governance failure After years of NEET paper leaks destroying the dreams of lakhs of students the government now wants the Air Force to transport question papersrdquo Raut saidHe alleged that instead of addressing the root causes behind repeated examination irregularities the government was looking for temporary solutionsAccording to Raut stronger action against those responsible for paper leaks and systemic reforms would be more effective than deploying military resources for examination logisticsQuestions raised over role of Defence MinistryThe Shiv Sena UBT leader also questioned the need for the Defence Ministry to become involved in arrangements related to conducting a national entrance examinationldquoWhy should the Defence Minister have to chair meetings with the Education Minister for basic exam logistics This only exposes the incompetence of the NTA and the Education Ministryrdquo Raut claimedHe further argued that public confidence in the examination process could only be restored through accountability and institutional reforms rather than extraordinary measuresRaut called for strict action against those responsible for examination paper leaks and demanded measures to ensure transparency in future recruitment and entrance testsldquoStudents deserve real accountabilityrdquo he saidGovernment exploring enhanced security measuresRautrsquos remarks came after reports that the Centre was considering using the Indian Air Force to transport NEETUG question papers as part of efforts to ensure a secure and leakproof reexamination processOfficial sources told PTI that the proposal was discussed during a highlevel meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath SinghUnion Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were also present at the meeting held in New DelhiSources told PTI that the objective of the discussion was to explore additional security measures for the transportation and distribution of examination materials ahead of the retestHowever officials clarified that no final decision has been taken so farFinal decision likely after PMrsquos reviewAccording to sources the proposal to involve the Air Force will be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for consideration before any decision is finalised reported PTIThe Centre is examining various options to ensure the secure conduct of the reexamination amid concerns raised by the recent paper leak controversyAuthorities have maintained that safeguarding the integrity of the examination process remains a priorityNEETUG retest scheduled for June 21The National EligibilitycumEntrance Test Undergraduate commonly known as NEETUG was originally conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centresNearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the examination which is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admission to undergraduate medical coursesOn May 12 the NTA cancelled the examination following allegations of a question paper leakA fresh examination has been scheduled for June 21Meanwhile the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI which is probing the paper leak case has conducted searches at multiple locations across the countrySo far 13 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation from Delhi Jaipur Gurugram Nashik Pune Latur and AhilyanagarWith inputs from PTI