{
  "id": 1625000,
  "title": "UGC-NET Row: NTA removes over 50 staff, fills 10 new leadership roles",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/ugc-net-row-nta-removes-over-50-staff-fills-10-new-leadership-roles",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T03:52:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ugcnet-row-nta-removes-over-50-staff-fills-10-new-leadership-roles-101787022725342.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Testing Agency (NTA) has implemented significant changes following examination disruptions, removing over 50 staff members and creating 10 new leadership roles, officials confirmed on Monday. The new positions include Chief Technology Officer, Chief Finance Officer, CISO, GM, Test Security, GM, R&D and Psychometrics, among others. This move was prompted by a series of issues, such as errors in UGC-NET question papers and a leak of the NEET-UG 2026 paper, according to the Union education ministry.\n\nThe re-examination of UGC NET papers in English, Commerce, and Sociology was announced after an NTA panel discovered mistakes in the question papers. Union education minister Pralhad Joshi reviewed the agency's corrective measures alongside the higher education secretary and other senior officials. In response, the ministry directed the testing body to overhaul its operations, hire domain experts from the private sector, and establish strict compliance with exam protocols.\n\nThese changes, including a complete overhaul of the Confidential Operations (CONOPS) framework, involve secure procedures for exam preparation and delivery. NTA will also conduct a thorough audit of all processes and submit a report on corrective actions within 30 days. The next UGC NET re-exam for the cancelled three papers is scheduled for September 9 and 10. The ministry spokesperson clarified that the agency would try to place candidates in their preferred cities for the re-exam, though reimbursement for additional travel and accommodation expenses remains unclear.",
  "summary": "The move comes a day after the NTA on Sunday announced a re-exam for UGC NET papers after a panel constituted by NTA found errors in the question papers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times",
        "title": "NTA removes 50+ staff after UGC-NET errors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/nta-removes-50-staff-after-ugc-net-errors",
        "published": "2026-08-17T17:03:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}