Amid NEET row, Foreign Medical Graduate Exam held under officials' strict watch

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the NEET exam, another crucial medical examination, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) 2024, is being held under stringent surveillance by security and home ministry officials. 

An official statement confirmed, "The content was successfully downloaded at all test centers. The examination started at all examination centers smoothly. A team of officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs has visited NBEMS HQ. No untoward incident has been reported."

The FMGE serves as a screening test for foreign medical graduates who wish to practice medicine in India. This year, the exam is being conducted at 71 centers across 50 cities in 21 states. 

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According to the health ministry, the FMGE has commenced smoothly across the nation without any reports of untoward incidents. A command center has been established at the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) headquarters in Delhi to oversee the examination process.

The smooth conduct of FMGE 2024 is notable in the backdrop of a major controversy involving the NEET-UG exam. 

The controversy erupted after 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720, which the National Testing Agency (NTA) attributed to the awarding of grace marks due to a faulty question and logistical delays in paper distribution at some centers. However, an investigation by Bihar police later uncovered that the exam paper had been leaked to a select group of candidates, further intensifying the row over the integrity of the examination process.

On July 4, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Aman Singh, the suspected key conspirator in the ongoing NEET-UG exam irregularities case. Singh was arrested in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, according to a CBI official.