Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the first Council of Ministers meeting this year on Thursday, with key decisions on various sectors under consideration. According to Business Standard, the meeting will be attended by all cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge and other ministers of state. The discussions will focus on the functioning of various ministries, key decisions taken in recent past and their outcomes, future plans, and implementation of government schemes for maximum success. Sectors including energy, agriculture, fertilisers, aviation, shipping and logistics are expected to receive focused attention, with the prime minister likely to refer to the ongoing West Asia crisis and its economic effects.
The Centre has directed major social media platforms to proactively identify and remove networks spreading fake paper leak claims and unverified exam-related content. According to reports from Business Standard, officials from the Ministry of Education raised concerns over the growing use of Telegram channels and anonymous online groups to spread misleading claims about competitive examinations during a meeting held on Wednesday with representatives from Meta, Google and Telegram. The discussions focused on the rapid spread of fake paper-leak allegations, clickbait content and unverified information that officials said were triggering panic, anxiety and confusion among students and parents.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has asked platforms to proactively identify, block and remove such networks that spread 'fake information, propaganda and panic before examinations', as reported by Business Standard. Pradhan is learnt to have said that platforms must work closely with the education ministry, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and law-enforcement agencies to curb misinformation swiftly and protect the integrity of the examination system. Officials noted that several of these channels become highly active in the run-up to major examinations and often redirect users to automated bots and fake groups designed to amplify misinformation.
Intelligence agencies during the meeting also flagged that multiple 'suspicious channels' appear to be operated through a limited set of phone numbers, indicating 'coordinated and organised activity', according to Business Standard reports. The meeting, chaired by Pradhan, reviewed preparedness for the upcoming re-exam, with the minister seeking support from central security and intelligence agencies for the NEET-UG re-examination, stressing the need for heightened vigilance and foolproof security arrangements.
NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled by the National Testing Agency after allegations of paper leaks and irregularities triggered widespread concerns over exam integrity, affecting lakhs of candidates across the country, as reported by Business Standard. Following the cancellation, the government ordered a re-examination to be conducted under tighter security and monitoring arrangements, with preparations currently underway for the fresh test scheduled soon. The case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing alleged irregularities, including suspected paper-leak networks and possible organised wrongdoing behind the incident, to establish the source and scale of the breach before the re-exam is conducted.
