{
  "id": 1509117,
  "title": "Education Minister Pralhad Joshi tells NTA to audit examination processes, submit corrective action report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/education-minister-pralhad-joshi-tells-nta-to-audit-examination",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T15:52:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/education-minister-pralhad-joshi-tells-nta-to-audit-examination-processes-submit-corrective-action-report/article71356772.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Education Minister Pralhad Joshi met with officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA) on August 17, 2026, following the announcement of re-conduct for UGC-NET exams in Sociology, Commerce, and English. The Minister requested the NTA to conduct a comprehensive audit of examination processes and provide a report on corrective actions. Joshi was notified that the NTA had dismissed over 50 staff members and advertised for 10 new leadership positions, including roles such as Chief Technology Officer, Chief Finance Officer, CISO, and Test Security Manager. The Minister emphasized the importance of strict adherence to examination protocols, directing a complete overhaul of confidential operations architecture, including the implementation of secure rooms, air-gapped systems, and strict protocols for handling sensitive information. Air-gapped systems are isolated from unsecured networks to prevent cyberattacks. The re-conduct of the UGC-NET papers is the second such instance this year, following the cancellation and subsequent re-examination of the NEET-UG exam due to a paper leak. The recent issues have prompted the NTA to bring in domain experts from the private sector for various roles, and to strengthen checks and balances around paper-setting protocols. The CBI investigation revealed that paper-setters for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics had unrestricted access to questions, which were later leaked, highlighting gaps in the security measures.",
  "summary": "Pralhad Joshi was informed that “in the wake of recent issues”, the NTA has removed more than 50 staff and advertised for 10 new professional leadership positions",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}