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“Twenty-two lakh children have gone through immense mental anguish. Understanding that anguish and taking responsibility, I am saying this today, we had to take some tough decisions,” he said.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) for admissions in medical courses held on May 3 was cancelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) recently amid allegations of paper leak. The matter is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a re-test is scheduled to be held on June 21. Pradhan said the government decided to cancel the examination after finding that “some assessments had been compromised”. “We did not want even a single student to be deprived of their rightful seat because of the conspiracy of those involved in irregularities in the education system and the examination mafia,” he said. The minister acknowledged the criticism over the handling of the issue but said the government is prepared to face the challenge. “We are facing criticism and challenges, and I accept that. But it is our responsibility to set the system right. It is not our duty to shut our eyes and turn away from the problem,” he said.

The education minister further said the government is committed to ensuring a smoother conduct of the re-examination scheduled on June 21. “For the examination scheduled on June 21, it is our responsibility to ensure that it is 100 per cent error-free,” he said.