PIB TrackerAadhaar and CCTV hold, but the power fails 2,445 at NEET-PG
NEET-PG 2026 ran for 2.66 lakh candidates across 1,111 centres under live surveillance; two Jaipur centres lost internal power and will re-examine 2,445 candidates on 5 September.
What happened
- NBEMS conducted NEET-PG 2026 on 30 August 2026 for 2,73,096 scheduled candidates at 1,111 centres in 339 cities.
- 2,65,980 candidates appeared and the examination was completed for approximately 2,63,535, across all 36 States and Union Territories.
- 2,527 faculty members served as Independent Appraisers and more than 700 senior faculty as Flying Squad members, with 16 Regional Command Centres.
- Centres were under live CCTV monitored from the NBEMS Command Centre at Dwarka by 190 NBEMS and TCS personnel, with Aadhaar-based authentication of candidates.
- At the iON Digital Zone Sitapura centres, Jaipur, 2,445 candidates could not complete the paper due to internal power supply issues and will sit again on 5 September 2026.
For Prelims
- NBEMS: the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, which conducts NEET-PG; it is distinct from the National Testing Agency.
- Scale: 2,73,096 candidates scheduled at 1,111 centres in 339 cities covering all 36 States and Union Territories.
- Turnout: 2,65,980 appeared; the paper was completed for about 2,63,535.
- Independent Appraisers: 2,527 faculty members appointed to oversee the conduct of the examination at centres.
- Flying Squad: more than 700 senior faculty, including Deans, Directors and Medical Superintendents, deployed for inspection.
- Command centres: 16 NBEMS Regional Command Centres, with live CCTV monitored from the headquarters at Dwarka by 190 NBEMS and TCS personnel.
- Aadhaar authentication: candidate verification at centres, used specifically to prevent impersonation.
- Jaipur disruption: 2,445 candidates at Test Centres 41682 and 41683, Sitapura, re-examined on 5 September 2026 at 3 p.m.
For UPSC: The concrete current example for examination integrity and for the state's dependence on private agencies to deliver public examinations. Use it on institutional accountability, on technology in governance, and on regulation of the entities that actually run an examination.
What it is NOT: This is not a paper leak or a cancelled examination — the disruption was a power supply failure at two centres, and only those 2,445 candidates sit again.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS2.13 · GS2.15 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Every defence built into this examination was aimed at a cheating candidate; what actually stopped 2,445 of them was the electricity supply at a centre run by the conducting agency itself.
Substantiation (data)
2,73,096 candidates scheduled at 1,111 centres in 339 cities; 2,65,980 appeared; 2,527 Independent Appraisers, over 700 Flying Squad members, 16 Regional Command Centres and 190 surveillance personnel; 2,445 candidates disrupted at two centres.
Exemplification
Officials of NBEMS, the Health Ministry, BEL, ECIL and TCS sat together in one command centre for the day — the delivery of a public examination now runs through a mixed public-private control room.
Problematisation
The Board names M/s TCS Ltd as the source of the failure but records no consequence for the agency, while the cost — a second examination eight days later — is borne by the candidates.
Way-forward
Centre-level infrastructure standards, including assured power backup, deserve the same specification as surveillance and authentication, which are already prescribed in detail.
Position
Examination reform in India is written almost entirely against the dishonest candidate; the recurring failures are logistical, and they sit with the vendors rather than with the examinees.
Deploys into: Education and human resources + governance (GS2.13, GS2.15) · examination integrity, and the accountability of private agencies that deliver public examinations.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare · 2026-08-30 · PRID 2304654 · PIB source ↗