Higher Education Secretary visits new NTA office to review infrastructure, admin setup

Higher Education Secretary Deepti Gaur Mukherjee toured the newly established National Testing Agency (NTA) office on Saturday, examining the upgraded infrastructure and administrative structure. According to a Ministry of Education post on X, "During the visit, she interacted with senior NTA officials, inspected the operational facilities, and conducted a comprehensive review of the new infrastructure and administrative setup to ensure seamless conduct of upcoming examinations."

Following the NEET paper leak in May, which sparked protests at Jantar Mantar and led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, NTA implemented a series of changes. These included the removal of approximately 600 staff members, improvements to processes, and a shift from an exam-centric framework to a more functional, specialized organizational structure.

The NTA has relocated its primary office from Okhla in South East Delhi to a 55,524.53 sqft space at the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road in Central Delhi. The move aims to provide enhanced security for confidential operations and house functional verticals and top leadership in a secure government facility. The Supreme Court judges overseeing the NEET UG paper leak case are scheduled to inspect the new office to review the security arrangements, which include 39 CISF personnel and the appointment of a Chief Information Security Officer, with the selection process for the General Manager (Information Security) well underway.