NEET (NEET-UG 2026) paper leak has now become the most shameful chapter in the history of the country. New revelations are happening every day. Amidst this whole drama, today every student and every parent of the country is asking a basic question to the National Testing Agency (NTA) that why are you not able to provide security for such a big examination. It is also being said that the ‘Union Budget’ has never been leaked till date, but how was the NEET paper, which decides the future of 22 lakh children, sold at throwaway prices? Let us understand by quoting PIB and the Finance Ministry, how many days does the budget take to prepare and what level of security system is adopted to protect it from leaking.
Timeline: Lasts about 5 months Budget process of making
According to the official guidelines of the Finance Ministry, the budget making process starts not one or two days, but full 5 months (about 150 days) in advance.
August (beginning): The Budget Division of the Finance Ministry issues a ‘Budget Circular’ to all ministries, states, union territories and autonomous bodies in the last week of August.
September October: All departments prepare the estimated details of their expenses and earnings (Statement of Budget Estimates) and submit it to the Finance Ministry.
October-November: Finance Ministry officials hold ‘pre-budget meetings’ with different ministries to decide who should get how much money.
December-January: The Finance Minister holds meetings with the country’s big industrialists, economists, farmer organizations and Chambers of Commerce and takes their suggestions. After this the final touch is given to the budget.
Security Circle: How to prevent leaks?
After the draft of the budget is prepared, the last 7 to 10 days are the most important. During this time, Delhi’s ‘North Block’ (headquarters of the Finance Ministry) turns into a fort whose security arrangements would make even the best spies sweat.
Historical ‘Halwa Ceremony’ and ‘Lock-in’ Period: About a week before the presentation of the Budget, a Halwa Ceremony is organized in the ‘Budget Press’ located in the basement of North Block, in which the Finance Minister himself participates. This ceremony is not just a ritual, but the official signal of the beginning of the ‘lock-in period’ (complete isolation). As soon as it ends, more than 100 officers and staff associated with the process of making and printing the budget are completely cut off from the outside world.
Completely ‘disconnected’ from the world: During this lock-in period, no employee or officer living in the basement is allowed to use mobile phone, internet or computer. The computer networks there are completely ‘air-gapped’, that is, they have no link to the external Internet so that no cyber hacking can take place.
Tight security of IB and CISF: CISF personnel are deployed for the security of the Finance Ministry, but in the last days of the budget, Intelligence Bureau (IB) spies in plain clothes are deployed in the entire corridor. Every visitor is kept an eye on. Two weeks before the presentation of the budget, there is a complete ban on entry of outsiders or media and visitor appointments in the ministry. The movement of officers below the level of Joint Secretary also becomes limited.
Restriction on going out even in medical emergency: During this time, the officers or employees locked in the basement have to stay there day and night, eat and sleep. The strictness of the rules is such that if someone has a serious health problem, they are not sent outside to the hospital; Rather, a special team of doctors comes inside and treats them. Employees cannot even talk to their families.
Final Printing and Digital Locking just 24 hours in advance: According to sources in the Finance Ministry, after receiving the final approval from the Prime Minister, the final printing or digital compilation of the budget documents is done just 24 hours before the presentation of the budget in Parliament. Now that the budget has become completely ‘paperless’ (digital), its copies are very limited, which remain sealed in secure software and password protected tablets. This password also opens when the Finance Minister starts her speech in Parliament.
Where is the carelessness taking place with NEET paper?
Now compare this with the poor examination system of NTA. well Professors are secretly selected to set the paper, but they set the questions sitting in their homes or hotels. After this the paper is transferred through pendrive or email (where there is a risk of cyber hacking).
The weakest link comes when the paper is sent to the printing press. Despite there being a government security press in the country, many times contracts are given to private printing presses, from where the middlemen and coaching mafia make full use of the greed of a few rupees. It is clear from the arrest memo of Latur’s coaching king Shivraj Motegaonkar that the paper was leaked 10 days before the examination, which shows that there was zero security at the level of printing or logistics.
Experts’ opinion: ‘A secret printing and sealing zone should be made for NEET also’
Top academicians and former administrative officials of the country believe that now the time has come when NTA Or the proposed new National Examination Authority will have to work on a ‘budget model’.
Secret ‘Examination Basement’: Professors and experts who set the paper should be locked in a high-security zone for 20 days before the examination, where jammers are installed and there is no means of communication with the outside world.
In-House Printing: The paper should not be sent to any external or private printing press. There should be state-of-the-art printing machines within the same secret zone, where the papers are sealed in digitally locked boxes immediately after being printed.
Last-Mine GPS Tracking: These boxes should be sent to the examination centers across the country under tight military security or IB surveillance, with GPS tracking and biometric locking, which should be opened only at sharp 9 am on the day of the examination.
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