A parliamentary committee has called for the National Testing Agency (NTA) to be made accountable to Parliament, saying the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 showed that deeper reform of the exam body is needed. The Congress on Sunday, October 11, seized on the report, saying it laid bare “grave incompetence and malpractice” at the agency and the Ministry of Education.
What the committee found
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik, presented its 382nd report, titled “Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency”, to the Rajya Sabha Chairman on October 9. The NTA conducts entrance tests such as JEE-Main, NEET-UG, CUET and UGC-NET for about 1.2 crore students a year.
The panel noted that only 23 of the NTA’s 39 sanctioned posts are filled, a vacancy of 41%, and that every permanent post is staffed through deputation. It said the agency should hire its own permanent officers, with specialists in psychometrics, exam security, digital systems and logistics.
Organised networks that profit from examination fraud are adaptive and resourceful, and will always seek the weakest link in the chain.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education
Key recommendations
- A parliamentary framework that makes the NTA answerable to both Houses.
- A phased shift of NEET-UG from pen and paper to computer-based testing, with secure government-run centres.
- A study of a two-stage NEET, with a common preliminary test and separate mains for MBBS, BDS, nursing and AYUSH, so that candidates are ranked against those seeking the same course.
- Reasonable age and attempt limits for major exams, with UGC-NET as the exception. The panel was told some NEET candidates are above 70.
- A national registry of blacklisted exam vendors and a large, constantly refreshed question bank built with experts from institutions such as the IITs and AIIMS.
NEET-UG, a single-stage test, is taken by more than 22 lakh students, the committee said, contrasting it with the multi-stage civil services examination.
Congress says ministry denied leaks
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the report recorded the ministry telling the committee that no paper leak had happened in any NTA exam since the agency was set up in 2017. He called the claim false, saying there had been nine known leaks and irregularities. He also pointed to the NTA’s status as a society rather than a statutory body, the lack of a full-time director general between the 2024 and 2026 NEET leaks, and a revenue surplus of ₹590 crore that he said had been parked in fixed deposits.
Mr Ramesh said he hoped the government would take the report seriously rather than dismiss it because opposition MPs sit on the committee.
Why it matters
The NTA cancelled the NEET-UG exam held on May 3, 2026, on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak, a decision that hit more than 22 lakh aspirants. The committee said trust in NTA exams was a matter of social justice and national integrity, and that rebuilding it would need adequate staff, strong security protocols, clear accountability and open, two-way communication with students. Its recommendations are advisory, and it is now up to the Education Ministry to decide which of them to adopt.
