NEET-PG, AIIMS CRE: TCS iON attributes Jaipur exam centre power failures to local electrical issues

TCS iON on Monday said a single examination centre in Jaipur experienced internal power failures during both the NEET-PG 2026 and AIIMS Common Recruitment Examination (CRE), attributing the disruptions to "unknown local electrical issues".

The iON Digital Zone (iDZ) at Sitapura centre in Jaipur, operated by TCS, experienced power failures when the two examinations were held on Sunday and Monday, according to a statement by Venguswamy Ramaswamy, head of iON Business Unit, TCS.

The NEET-PG 2026 examination was conducted on Sunday for more than 2.63 lakh candidates across 1,111 centres in the country, while the AIIMS CRE was held on Monday for more than 21,000 candidates across 58 centres, TCS said.

"The expert team from the vendors responsible for electrical maintenance are working to get this fixed urgently. Further, all possible measures are being put in place to avoid recurrence of such issues in future," the statement said.

The development comes a day after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) announced a re-examination for candidates who could not complete the NEET-PG examination at the two iDZ Sitapura centres due to the power failure.

The NBEMS has scheduled a re-examination for all affected candidates on September 5 at 3 pm in Jaipur, according to a notice by it.

The NBEMS has also called an immediate meeting to decide the course of action against the technological partner and the agency responsible for ensuring adequate infrastructure at the examination centres, officials said on Sunday.

The AIIMS Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) 2026 was conducted nationwide on Monday, but the exam at two centres in Jaipur -- RJ0101 and RJ0102 at TCS-operated iON Digital Zone, Sitapura -- was disrupted due to internal power supply issues.

The exam had commenced at 9 am as scheduled, but the disruption led AIIMS, Delhi to cancel the examination at the two centres to safeguard the interests of affected candidates and maintain the integrity and fairness of the recruitment process, AIIMS authorities said.

TCS has been instructed to submit a detailed report and preserve system logs, CCTV footage and control-room communications for a comprehensive assessment of the incident, the authorities said.

AIIMS said the decision to re-conduct the exam has been taken in the interest of affected candidates and to ensure a fair, transparent and equitable recruitment process.

The NBEMS on Sunday had said the NEET-PG examination was completed for around 2,63,535 candidates, while 2,65,980 candidates appeared for the test held at 1,111 centres.

The re-examination for all affected candidates has been scheduled for September 5 at 3 pm in Jaipur. Further details, including the venue and revised admit cards, will be shared separately, the NBEMS said.

TCS iON expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to candidates appearing for the NEET-PG and AIIMS CRE examinations at the centre and said it was working with the respective authorities to ensure that the affected candidates are able to complete the examinations at the earliest.