National Testing Agency gets three senior officers amid exam overhaul

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has bolstered the National Testing Agency (NTA) with the addition of three high-ranking officers in a significant personnel and security overhaul following controversies surrounding NEET-UG and UGC-NET examinations. IPS officer Ravi Kumar Singh and IAS officer Prasanna Venkatesh V have been appointed as directors at NTA, while Amit Samdariya, a customs officer from the 2016 batch, will serve as joint director.

These appointments were approved through separate personnel ministry orders dated August 27. The move comes shortly after NTA initiated a comprehensive revamp, which includes removing about 600 experts from examination panels, hiring new specialists, and implementing a four-tier review system for question papers. The agency is also enhancing security by recruiting additional officials and relocating to premises with improved security measures, including CISF deployment.

Union education minister Pralhad Joshi recently reviewed these measures as the government aims to tighten both the academic and operational aspects of the examination process. NTA has faced mounting pressure since the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, leading to nationwide protests and heightened scrutiny of the security and administration of high-stakes exams.

The agency recently had to reschedule UGC-NET examinations in English, commerce, and sociology due to multiple errors and repeated questions in the June papers, adding to its security challenges. The personnel ministry has directed all three officers to assume their new roles within three weeks.