As 22 lakh students get set to appear for the NEET re-exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday urged them to appear for it fearlessly and free of anxiety.
Pradhan, who was speaking at a yoga event at Delhi University on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, said he had complete faith in the National Testing Agency (NTA), state governments, district administrations, the education fraternity and the students.
“Today, around 22 lakh students are going to sit for NEET after a short while. They should sit fearlessly and free of anxiety. They will certainly do well. My many good wishes to the students," he said.
Appealing to people not to do anything that could affect children’s mental health, Pradhan said the future of India’s new generation should not be toyed with.
“Please do not play with the future of India’s new generation. Do not do anything that will impact the mental health of children. After a few hours, children are going to appear for the examination," he said.
“I appeal that we must not play with the future of India’s new generation. No one should make it a joke. Nothing should be done that impacts the mental health of children. In a few hours, students are going to appear for the examination," he said.
Without naming anyone, the minister said some “so-called responsible people" had on Saturday behaved with “wrong intention" that affected children, and urged them not to cause any more distress.
“At least if you are responsible, if you consider yourself a true citizen of India, if you represent the people of India, please take responsibility and do not give any more distress to the children," he said.
Pradhan also said that while the NEET examination would be held on Sunday, the pending CBSE results would also be released very soon.
“Out of nearly 17 lakh CBSE students, the results of around 15.5 lakh students have already come out. The process for those students who had applied for revaluation, reassessment and reverification is almost complete, and CBSE will publish those results very soon," he said.
In a message on X, the National Testing Agency (NTA) urged candidates appearing for the re-examination to immediately download their fresh admit cards, saying the admit card issued for the May 3 exam would not be valid for entry.
The agency said admit cards for the re-examination has already been made available to all eligible candidates on its website and that it had undertaken “extensive efforts" to inform them through public notices, SMS alerts, emails and WhatsApp messages.
However, some candidates had still not downloaded their admit cards as of 7 pm on June 20, it said.
“It is observed that some candidates have not yet downloaded their Admit Cards as of 7 pm on June 20. NTA has also sent the Admit Cards to the Whatsapp numbers of these candidates," the agency said.
The NTA also reminded candidates that entry to centres would begin at 11 am and close at 1.30 pm, with no entry allowed thereafter, and advised them to carry their admit card, a valid photo ID and two passport-size photographs, avoid prohibited items, stay hydrated and reach early, keeping traffic in mind.
The NTA had cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 exam amid allegations of a paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the matter. The re-exam will be held on Sunday.
