Rural NEET candidates risk losing fees to cyber-cafe intermediaries

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: While the National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced a 100% refund of application fees following cancellation of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026, concerns are being raised regarding whether the money will actually reach students in rural and underserved regions.The NTA's refund process is automated, meaning the credit will be sent back to the original digital payment source used during registration. However, activists warn that this "source-only" reversal policy ignores the reality of the digital banking divide in tier-3 cities and villages.Youth activist Nikhil Kakde pointed out that a vast demographic of rural candidates executed their registrations at local commercial cyber-cafes or through third-party kiosks. "These students typically pay the fee in cash to the operator, who then uses a personal or merchant wallet to clear the NTA gateway," Kakde said. "Consequently, the automated reversals will legally land in the accounts of these intermediaries rather than the low-income families who actually financed the attempt."Kakde is calling for an institutional oversight framework to prevent "localised hoarding" of these funds. He urged the govt to launch dedicated administrative hotlines for families to report withheld disbursements. "District-level revenue officers should audit transaction logs at high-volume digital service hubs to ensure third parties are reconciling NTA credits and returning cash balances to verified applicants without delay," he added.The NTA cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 exam held on May 3, a move that affects 22.79 lakh registered candidates. The financial stakes are significant: General category students are owed Rs1,700, while the refund stands at Rs1,600 for OBC/EWS categories and Rs1,000 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.The anxiety is shared by parents who relied on external help for the complex registration process. Makrand Washikar, whose daughter registered via a cyber-cafe, noted the lack of recourse if the operator proves uncooperative. "It is entirely up to the cyber-cafe owner's integrity to refund the money once the credit is received. Establishing official help-desks for parents to raise complaints is essential," he said.Totalling hundreds of crores in aggregate, the refund process remains a logistical and ethical challenge. An official inquiry sent to the NTA regarding these concerns remained unanswered as of Thursday night. Similarly, Maharashtra Higher Education Minister Chandrakant Patil could not be reached for comment..