NEW DELHI. In a major crackdown following the NEET-UG paper leak row, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has terminated the services of 47 officials as part of an institutional overhaul aimed at restoring credibility and integrity to national entrance examinations. Alongside the dismissals, internal inquiries and inputs from investigating agencies indicate that several of the terminated personnel will face separate legal and criminal proceedings.
To rebuild its workforce with specialized expertise, the agency has initiated recruitment for key leadership positions in cybersecurity, forensic investigation, test-centre operations, and assessment research, while also bringing in young professionals through the UPSC Pratibha Setu portal to minimize reliance on contractual staff. Supervised by a high-level monitoring committee led by former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan, these measures mark a major step toward structural reforms, which will also include shifting the NEET-UG examination from pen-and-paper format to computer-based testing starting in 2027.
