Pradhan said he has complete faith in the National Testing Agency (NTA), state governments, district administrations, the education fraternity and the students.

"Today, around 22 lakh students are going to sit for NEET after a short while. They should sit fearlessly and free of anxiety. They will certainly do well. My many good wishes to the students," he said.

Appealing to people not to do anything that could affect children's mental health, Pradhan said the future of India's new generation should not be toyed with.

"Please do not play with the future of India's new generation. Do not do anything that will impact the mental health of children. After a few hours, children are going to appear for the examination," he said.

"I appeal that we must not play with the future of India's new generation. No one should make it a joke. Nothing should be done that impacts the mental health of children. In a few hours, students are going to appear for the examination," he said.

Without naming anyone, the minister said some "so-called responsible people" had on Saturday behaved with "wrong intention" that affected children, and urged them not to cause any more distress.

"At least if you are responsible, if you consider yourself a true citizen of India, if you represent the people of India, please take responsibility and do not give any more distress to the children," he said.

The NTA had cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 exam amid allegations of a paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.

The re-exam will be held on Sunday.