New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) paid over Rs. 13.29 crore to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd. for conducting the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) Postgraduate (PG) 2023 examination and spent over Rs. 24 crore on the 2024 examination, an Right To Information (RTI) response to a query filed by Dr Aman Kaushik has revealed.
Dated May 28, 2025, the RTI response provides a breakdown of NBEMS' spending over the two years. For NEET PG 2023, Rs 13.29 crore was allocated to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). In contrast, the 2024 examination, which eventually took place on August 11, involved higher expenses-Rs 12.34 crore was spent on the computer-based test (CBT), and Rs 89.58 lakh went towards CCTV surveillance arrangements.
According to the RTI response, additionally Rs. 11.02 crore was spent on the deferred NEET PG 2024 exam, which got postponed a night before the scheduled date as a precautionary measure, at the backdrop of paper leak controversies linked to the NEET and University Grants Commission (UGC)- National Eligibility Test (NET) exams from the previous year. The postponement came at the direction of the Union Health Ministry and led to a full reorganization of the exam, eventually held on August 11, 2024.
The rescheduled exam in August incurred an additional cost of Rs. 13.24 crore. Altogether, the total expenditure for the 2024 exam surpassed Rs. 24 crore, nearly doubling the amount spent the previous year.
Dr Aman Kaushik, who filed the RTI, said the financial burden was accompanied by emotional stress for students. "The government must take proactive steps to ensure such disruptions do not happen again," he said.
The last-minute cancellation caused considerable confusion among candidates, many of whom were left scrambling to adjust to the abrupt change in schedule.
