Centre Appoints Pradeep Singh Kharola As New NTA Chief Amid NEET-NET Controversies

On Saturday, the Centre announced the replacement of the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid controversies surrounding the NEET and UGC-NET exams. Pradeep Singh Kharola, a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, has been appointed as the new chief. He succeeds Subodh Kumar Singh, who has been placed on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training.

According to a notification released by the government on Saturday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of Director General, National Testing Agency, Ministry of Education to Pradeep Singh Kharola, IAS (KN:85) (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, until a regular appointment is made or further orders are issued.

This decision follows the formation of a high-level panel led by former ISRO chairperson K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations.

The Narendra Modi government is facing criticism due to multiple controversies related to competitive exams conducted by the NTA. There have been allegations of irregularities in the NEET medical entrance exam, including a reported paper leak being investigated by the Bihar Police. Additionally, the UGC-NET examination was canceled by the Centre after claims that the paper was leaked on the darknet.

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On Friday, the NTA postponed the CSIR UGC-NET exam, which is conducted for junior research fellowships and PhD admissions in science courses. The postponement was attributed to ‘unavoidable circumstances’ and ‘logistical issues’.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that there was no leak in the CSIR-UGC NET exam, but it was postponed due to logistical issues. He also mentioned the retest of 1,563 NEET candidates scheduled for the following day and emphasized the need for smooth conduct of the exam across all locations.

Pradhan noted that the top leadership of the NTA is under scrutiny due to alleged irregularities in the NEET and NET exams, although he denied any paper leak in the CSIR-UGC NET.