More than 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21 under heightened security arrangements across the country. The National Testing Agency conducted the exam from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm, including an additional 15-minute provision. Authorities implemented stringent monitoring measures, enhanced frisking procedures, surveillance systems, and coordinated security deployment to ensure a fair and transparent examination process. The re-exam was held following concerns surrounding the earlier NEET-UG cycle, making integrity and smooth conduct top priorities. Officials monitored examination centres closely while candidates adhered to revised guidelines. The large-scale exercise marked one of India's biggest entrance test operations, with authorities aiming to restore confidence among aspirants. (PC:  G. Ramakrishna)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct a nationwide mock drill on June 20 ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-test scheduled for June 21. More than 2.5 lakh security personnel will participate in the exercise, which will assess preparedness and inter-agency coordination across over 5,000 examination centres. Authorities have implemented a three-tier security framework, with CCTV surveillance and paramilitary forces securing question papers and answer booklets. NTA also dismissed a viral social media video claiming to show a NEET-UG re-exam paper, calling it fake and citing multiple inconsistencies. Meanwhile, the National Medical Commission has tightened vigilance measures, while the Delhi High Court upheld the temporary restriction on Telegram. (PC: PTI)

Telegram has challenged India’s temporary ban in the Delhi High Court after the government blocked the platform until 22 June ahead of the NEET medical entrance exam retest involving nearly 2.3 million candidates. Authorities alleged Telegram was used to “defraud” students and ordered the platform to disable message editing until June-end. The exam was rescheduled after a May paper leak, triggering nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party. Telegram called the ban disproportionate, arguing leaks merely shifted to other apps. Founder Pavel Durov said hundreds of leak-related channels had already been removed. Critics, including internet freedom advocates and analysts, questioned the ban’s effectiveness and impact.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting to assess preparations for the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21. The meeting involved officials from the Ministry of Education, the National Testing Agency (NTA), state governments and higher education institutions. Pradhan emphasized transparent and fair conduct of the examination, with special focus on security arrangements, surveillance and coordination among agencies. Authorities have strengthened monitoring systems and warned against any attempt to disrupt the process. The review aims to ensure a smooth and credible examination while restoring confidence among millions of medical aspirants. (PC: X)

The QS World University Rankings 2027 have placed IIT Delhi as India's highest-ranked institution, rising five places to 118th globally. IIT Bombay secured the 134th position, while IIT Madras ranked 170th, making them the only three Indian institutes in the world's top 200.   The rankings highlight India's growing academic reputation, research output and employability performance. Several other Indian institutions, including IIT Kharagpur, IISc Bengaluru and IIT Kanpur, also improved their global standing. Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top position for the 15th consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University.  

The government of Odisha has announced free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level across government educational institutions. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi unveiled the landmark initiative while marking two years of the BJP government in the state. The policy will remove educational fees in government schools and colleges, aiming to expand access to education, particularly for students from economically weaker sections and girls. Speaking in Bhubaneswar, Majhi described the move as a significant step toward universal education. The announcement accompanied a review of 121 government schemes launched over two years. Education funding has also increased to ₹42,565 crore for 2026-27, nearly 14% of Odisha’s total budget. (PC: Swarajya)

Ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, authorities have implemented unprecedented security measures to safeguard the integrity of the test following the cancellation of the May exam amid controversy. According to reports, all experts involved in setting, moderating and translating the question papers have been relocated to a secure undisclosed facility and placed under strict lockdown until the examination concludes. The move is aimed at preventing any possibility of question paper leaks and restoring public confidence in the national medical entrance examination. The extraordinary security protocol underscores the government's determination to ensure a transparent, fair and credible re-test process for lakhs of aspiring medical students nationwide. (PC: India Today)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the city intimation slips for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination scheduled on June 21. The slip informs candidates about the city where their examination centre will be located, helping them plan travel and accommodation in advance. Students can download the document from the official NEET portal using their application number and login credentials. NTA clarified that the city intimation slip is not the admit card; separate admit cards will be issued before the examination. The re-test is being conducted after the cancellation of the earlier NEET UG 2026 exam amid controversy over alleged irregularities. 

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has appointed Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as its new Chairman and Varun Bhardwaj as Secretary amid controversy surrounding the board’s on-screen marking (OSM) system. Lokhande replaces Rahul Singh, while Bhardwaj succeeds Himanshu Gupta. The OSM system, introduced for Class 12 examinations, has faced criticism over alleged irregularities, technical glitches, payment failures, and concerns regarding the award of a contract to a private company. A one-member committee is investigating the matter. CBSE has reopened its re-evaluation portal until June 6, allowing eligible students to seek verification and reassessment of evaluated answer sheets. (PC: X)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified criticism of the CBSE’s digital evaluation system, alleging that Class 12 answer sheets were scanned using mobile phones after key tender requirements were diluted. Citing findings by student researcher Sarthak Sidhant and ethical hacker Nisarga Adhikary, Gandhi claimed technical standards for scanning quality and equipment were relaxed, benefiting the vendor COEMPT Edu Teck. The controversy has grown amid reports of blurred scans, missing pages, answer-sheet mix-ups, portal crashes and unexpectedly low marks. CBSE has acknowledged vulnerabilities in an associated portal and said cybersecurity experts, government agencies and IIT specialists are working to strengthen the system. (PC: India Today)