Amidst NEET Paper Leak Scandal, Aspirants Demand Re-Exam

New Delhi: Amidst the paper leak scandal involving the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Undergraduate (NEET-UG) Exam, the centralised common entrance test for admission to the MBBS course, the aspirants have started demanding re-conduction of the examination.

Referring to instances where the government swiftly cancels the examinations for confirmed leaks, the candidates are urging the authorities to ensure justice by conducting a re-examination.

This comes after around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had earlier claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Recently, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange of giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Also Read: NEET Paper Leak Scandal Rocks Bihar: Questions-Answers allegedly given to 20 Aspirants Day Before Exam

EOU had earlier mentioned in a release that as per the investigation, the question papers of NEET-UG and their answers were provided to around 35 aspirants before the May 5 exam.

Aspirants Demand Re-Examination: 

Amid the reports of NEET paper leak, the aspirants have started expressing their frustration at the social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and demanding a fair re-examination of NEET 2024. Photos of aspirants holding placards saying “We Demand a Fair Examination” have been circulating on social media platforms.

Questioning “where’s the justice”, an X user wrote, “Government of India is sleeping or busy with elections? Come out of your election otherwise the youth will crash you down. @NTA_Exams conduct re neet asap otherwise wait till the case goes to SC.” The post also tagged the Prime Minister of India and the Union Education Minister.

Also Read: NEET Candidates paid up to Rs 50 lakhs for getting Question Papers in Advance: Bihar EOU

Demanding re-neet, the user wrote in another post, “WE DEMAND RE NEET large number of aspirants got the paper a night before. Teachers solved aspirant’s question paper at the hall itself And many more…. Is this a joke??”

Meanwhile, an user slammed the whole education system and wrote, “Nowadays this is the actual reality of whole education system…… Or i can say this is the reality of every system. Corruption on its peak.”

An X page called NEET UG Leak also opined that the entire examination should be cancelled and it should be conducted fairly again. The X post stated, “It is requested to the government that the examination should be cancelled and it should be conducted fairly again. Unqualified students have been benefited by paper leak and its roots are very deep.”

Raising the matter, socio political activist Mukesh Choudhary wrote, “The government should take a decision in the interest of the youth as soon as possible regarding the NEET UG paper leak.” He questioned when the aspirants would get justice.

Extending support to the aspirants demanding re-conduction of the examination, another user questioned, “When it is accepted , even by almost all media that #NEET_PAPER_LEAK did happen then Why the Demand of #RENEET is being ignored ? The Students who studied hard and gave #NEETexam with honesty actually deserve #ReNeet2024.”

Also Read: NEET 2024 Cheating Scandal: More than 24 culprits including 14 impersonators arrested by Bihar Police

Social activist Dr. Vivek Pandey also raised the matter and he questioned the stand of the National Testing Agency (NTA) denying claims of NEET paper leak. He wrote, “As per @NTA_Exams they don’t have any strong evidence of paper leak. Patna police already said in their press release that paper was leaked, even they told the same to court. Then why NTA denying facts ?”

Opining that the charge of conducting NEET should be transferred to AIIMS, Dr. Pandey mentioned in another post, “Facing issues with NTA exams isn’t new. From admit card glitches to paper leaks, students have endured. It’s time to reconsider, perhaps shift Neet UG’s authority from NTA to AIIMS.”

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Bihar Police had arrested more than two dozen individuals, including 14 impersonators and candidates for cheating in the NEET UG 2024 exam. Among those arrested, an FIR was registered against 14 people, who were accused of impersonating registered candidates during the examination. During the interrogation, the accused known as “solvers” had revealed that Rs 5-10 lakh each was given to several centres by the gang members.

Earlier the National Testing Agency (NTA) had issued a clarification ensuring fair conduct of the NEET 2024 examination and it allowed 120 candidates to reappear for the exam after the question papers were distributed incorrectly at an exam centre. While several social media posts claimed that NEET 2-24 question paper was leaked, NTA had denied such claims.

In the notice, NTA stated that “it assures the public that apart from this isolated incident, the NEET (UG) 2024 examination commenced smoothly and is being conducted peacefully at all other examination centres across the country. The NTA emphasizes that this incident has not compromised the integrity of the examination process at other centres.”

Also Read: Incorrect distribution of NEET 2024 question paper, NTA allows 120 aspirants to reappear in exam, denies ‘paper-leak’ claims

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PCI issues Guidelines for Inspections of Pharmacy Institutions for academic year 2024- 2025

New Delhi: The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has issued comprehensive guidelines for the inspection process of pharmacy institutions for the academic year 2024-2025.

These guidelines are applicable to existing and new institutions applying for approval for the first time.

Referencing PCI circulars numbered 1.14-56/2022-PCI (Approval Process for 2024-25 a.s.) dated December 14, 2023, and subsequent updates, the guidelines aim to streamline the inspection and verification process for all stakeholders involved, including pharmacy institutions, examining authorities (universities/boards), and state governments.

The notice declared that all the institutions are requested to follow the guidelines during the inspection and verification process.

In this connection, the notice stated that the PCI will start the inspection process of the Pharmacy institutions for the 2024-2025 academic sessions at the earliest.

“All inspections will be done through the mobile inspection application only as provided in the Google Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cdg.com.pci inspection&hl=en&gl=U S&pli=l).” the notice added.

In accordance with the notice, all institutions are requested to follow the below guidelines during the inspection and verification process:

Regarding Students:

  • Mandatory attendance for all the students enrolled in the institutions.
  • Mandatory registration for all the students on the PCI Portal.
  • All students are to have the Smart Card with them at the time of the inspection process.

Regarding Faculties:

  • Mandatory attendance for all the faculties enrolled in the institutions.
  • Mandatory presence for all the faculties enrolled in the institutions, during the time of inspection process.
  • If any faculty is on leave, the leave letter is to be submitted to the inspectors and the same is to be documented on the app along with the reason for absence.
  • Mandatory registration for all the faculties on the PCI Portal.
  • All faculty members must have their Smart Card with them at the time of the inspection process.
  • All faculties must carry their relevant documents with them at the time of the inspection and verification process.

Infrastructure:

  • Mandatory active QR code on the institutions’ infrastructure comprising-

• Institutions Classrooms,

• Institutions Laboratories,

• Institutions Common Facility,

• Institutions Computer Labs and other facilities,

• Institutions Amenities,

• Master’s Degree Equipment,

• Bachelor’s Degree Equipments,

• Others;

  • Mandatory active QR code on all the equipment present in the institutions during the inspection process.
  • If any infrastructure or equipment is found without the QR code or the QR code not working at the time of inspection, the institutions are to be counted in the deficiency list.

Documents:

  • All faculties are to possess the relevant documents with them at the time of the inspection and verification process.
  • Institutions must possess all the relevant documents with them as information filled in Standard Inspection Format (SIF) at the time of inspection and verification process

In addition, the notice added that the above points shall be applicable to all other information in the SIF filled by institutions.

To view the notice, click the below link:

Also Read:Madras Medical College’s pharmacy institute likely to lose approval, face punitive action for violating PCI norms: Report

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India new dietary guidelines limit sugar intake to 5 percent of daily calories

The new dietary guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) recommends no sugar for children under two years old and limiting sugar intake to 5% of daily calories for individuals over two. Another study by ICMR, in collaboration with Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, revealed that one in four Indians is diabetic, pre-diabetic, or obese, largely due to dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles.
Feeding infants and young children with food products containing added sugar has been shown to increase their risk of early childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases later in life, the guidelines stated.

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SC pulls up IMA chief in Patanjali ads case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday i.e. May 14, 2024, reserved its verdict on the pending contempt proceedings against Patanjali Ltd., its managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, and co-founder Baba Ramdev, who were accused of publishing misleading medical advertisements in breach of a court undertaking.
However, the top court bench dismissed the apology tendered by the president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr. RV Asokan, for his remarks on the court’s ruling in the misleading ads case against Patanjali.

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Rajasthan Govt to utilize ODK app for real time monitoring of sesonal diseases

Jaipur: The Medical Department of Rajasthan have announced their plan to utilize a mobile application for monitoring seasonal diseases, aiming for real-time surveillance.   

Additional Chief Secretary of the Medical and Health Department Shubhra Singh said that the online monitoring of seasonal diseases will now be done by the department through the app, reported news agency PTI.  

She said that this innovation will enable real-time monitoring of seasonal diseases across the state and effective steps can be taken quickly for prevention and control.  

“The main objective of the app is to reduce the cases of malaria, dengue and chikungunya,” she said.  

“The intensity of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya usually remains from the beginning of the rainy season in July-August to October-November. In recent years, due to lifestyle and weather changes, the spread of seasonal diseases has started increasing,” she said.

According to a PTI report, she said, “Through the app, photographs of mosquito breeding sites and places where larvae are found will be taken and sent to the local self-government department or the Panchayati Raj Department… The concerned departments will carry out anti-larva and anti-mosquito activities at those places”.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Uttarakhand health department has taken proactive measures to address the rising cases of dengue and chikungunya patients in the state by issuing comprehensive guidelines to all districts. Twenty key points have been communicated to District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to ensure effective prevention and treatment. Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Secretary of Health, has been conducting regular review meetings to strategize the prevention of dengue and chikungunya. In consultation with health experts, the department has formulated guidelines aimed at the treatment and prevention of these diseases.

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Including more women on hospital teams yields better surgery outcomes, new study finds

A new paper appearing in the British Journal of Surgery finds that care in hospitals with higher surgery team sex-diversity was associated with better post-operative outcomes for patients.

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Study supports lower BMI threshold for obesity in those over age 40

The internationally recognized body-mass index (BMI) cutoff point for obesity may not be appropriate for middle-aged and older men and women (aged 40–80 years), according to research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May).

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Tech alone can’t replace human coaches in obesity treatment, study finds

A Northwestern Medicine study shows that technology alone can’t replace the human touch to produce meaningful weight loss in obesity treatment. The study, titled “An Adaptive Behavioral Intervention for Weight Loss Management: A Noninferiority Randomized Clinical Trial,”
was published May 14 in JAMA.

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Text messages with financial incentives can help men who are living with obesity lose weight, UK study finds

A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), and published simultaneously in JAMA, has concluded that text messages with financial incentives can help men who are living with obesity lose weight and could be a valuable alternative to traditional weight management programs.

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Severe obesity in childhood can halve life expectancy, global modeling study finds

New research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May) has for the first time quantified the impact of different aspects of childhood obesity on long-term health and life expectancy.

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