NTA Terminates 47 Officials, Initiates Workforce Overhaul After Exam Leaks

The National Testing Agency has terminated 47 officials and begun rebuilding its workforce with specialist leadership in cybersecurity, forensic investigation, test-centre operations and assessment research, government sources said on Friday. Some of those terminated will also face legal and criminal action based on internal inquiries and inputs from investigating agencies. More measures are expected as responsibility is fixed for failures in national entrance examinations.

The first phase includes four General Manager appointments and 16 Young Professionals through UPSC’s PRATIBHA Setu portal. Recruitment will be overseen by the K Radhakrishnan-led monitoring committee, which will hold its first meeting on Saturday, July 25, ministry sources said. The crackdown follows the NEET-UG paper leak, which forced nearly 20 lakh candidates to take the examination again on June 21 after the May 3 test was cancelled.

Sources stressed that the 47 personnel had been terminated, not merely transferred or marked for removal. Their names, ranks and alleged roles were not disclosed. Cases indicating criminal wrongdoing will be referred to the appropriate agencies, while departmental and legal proceedings will follow separately. The four General Managers will be appointed on three-year contracts.

The assessment and psychometrics head will oversee question banks, normalisation, equating and calibration, and pilots on computer-adaptive testing and AI-assisted assessment. The test-centre operations head will supervise NTA’s network across more than 500 cities and select overseas centres, including empanelment, capacity, accessibility, amenities, examination-day operations and coordination with administrations. The information-security head will serve as Chief Information Security Officer, responsible for systems, networks, applications, candidate data, a round-the-clock Security Operations Centre and compliance with data-protection, information-technology and CERT-In requirements. The vigilance, investigation and forensics head will lead malpractice inquiries, build in-house digital-forensics capability and coordinate with the CBI, Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, state police and cybercrime units under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

NTA will also engage 16 Young Professionals through PRATIBHA Setu — Professional Resource And Talent Integration Bridge for Hiring Aspirants — for the first time. The platform gives verified employers access to willing candidates who cleared stages of UPSC examinations but were not recommended in the final merit list. Twelve positions will be in academic research, two in legal research and two in finance and accounts. Appointments will initially be for 24 months, extendable to 36 months based on performance. The changes seek to reduce NTA’s dependence on temporary manpower. It has 39 sanctioned permanent posts, all on deputation, but only 24 are filled, against 73 contractual personnel and 124 outsourced workers. Further hiring will follow across 10 functional verticals recommended by the Radhakrishnan committee.

NTA has also initiated fresh empanelment of subject experts and translators. The overhaul will accompany changes to examination delivery. NEET-UG will shift from OMR-based testing to computer-based testing from 2027, bringing it closer to JEE Main and CUET. The move should reduce physical movement of papers, enable multiple question sets and create a digital trail, but will require secure centres, stronger cybersecurity and safeguards against technical failures. The government is also reviewing outsourcing in registration, centre management, technology services and handling of confidential material. The new model will define responsibility, strengthen audits and background checks, reduce agencies handling sensitive information and impose tougher penalties for security failures. Sources said the reset would combine accountability for past lapses with safeguards against future leaks and malpractice.