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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday applauded Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (Undergraduate) 2026, emphasising that he will contribute meaningfully to the healthcare ecosystem in the country. In an X post, Pradhan praised Bansal, saying that his achievement is a by-product of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. "Met Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who has secured AIR 2 in NEET UG 2026. Congratulated him on this outstanding achievement and wished him success in his career. His accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance and aspiration of India's young minds. I am confident he will contribute meaningfully to the nation's healthcare ecosystem through excellence and service," he said. Met Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who has secured AIR 2 in NEET UG 2026. Congratulated him on this outstanding achievement and wished him success in his career . His accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance and aspiration of India's young minds. I am confident he… pic.twitter.com/siO8NhoE7l — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 19, 2026

NEET UG 2026 AIR 1 Aryan Gupta's Success

Moreover, Aryan Gupta from Ludhiana secured AIR 1 in NEET-UG 2026. Aryan Gupta from Ludhiana secured AIR 1 in NEET UG 2026 with a percentile of 99.9999, scoring 715 out of 720 marks. Speaking to ANI after the results were announced, Aryan credited consistent hard work, discipline, guidance from teachers and support from his family for his success. "I secured All India Rank 1 in NEET (UG) 2026. I got 715 out of 720 marks. I worked very hard for two years, studied a lot, and took a lot of stress too, so it feels very good. I'm feeling very relieved. It feels like I've got the fruit of the hard work I put in," Aryan said.

Sharing his preparation strategy, Aryan advised future aspirants to trust their teachers and maintain discipline. "My elder brother Aditya had already told me to follow the teachers blindly. Whatever homework, DPPs or assignments they gave, I would finish them at home. Two years passed like this," he said.

Over 11 Lakh Qualify in NEET UG 2026

According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses in NEET UG 2026. Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the examination conducted on June 21 at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad in 13 languages.

The NTA said the results were declared in time to ensure that the counselling and medical college admission schedule remains on track. The examination had remained under scrutiny following the paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the earlier examination and a re-test on June 21. (ANI)