Archive · 24 Jul 2026
NTA operates with minimal permanent staff
The National Testing Agency (NTA) in India, which runs big exams like NEET, CUET, and JEE, has only 39 permanent jobs.
Right now, only 24 of these jobs are filled.
The rest of the workers are hired on contracts or outsourced.
This means most of the people working for the NTA are not permanent employees.
The NTA has done over 270 exams since it started in 2018 and has registered over 6.6 crore candidates.
The NTA's money coming in has more than doubled from ₹504.16 crore in 2019-20 to ₹1,116.84 crore in 2023-24.
Their spending has also gone up from ₹440.20 crore to ₹1,040.96 crore in the same time.
Some people worry that having so many temporary workers might not be good for the quality of the exams, but the government says it's a good way to handle so many exams.
The NTA has only 39 sanctioned permanent posts, with 24 currently occupied.
The agency relies on 73 contractual personnel and 124 outsourced staff.
The NTA has conducted over 270 examinations since 2018.
Income has more than doubled from ₹504.16 crore in 2019-20 to ₹1,116.84 crore in 2023-24.
Expenditure has increased from ₹440.20 crore to ₹1,040.96 crore in the same period.
- Who
- National Testing Agency (NTA)
- What
- Operates with minimal permanent staff
- When
- Since its inception in 2018
- Where
- India
- Why
- To conduct major entrance examinations
Critics
Government
Staffing Levels
Critics
Critics argue that the NTA's reliance on contractual and outsourced staff is unsustainable and raises concerns about the quality and consistency of examination conduct.
Government
The government maintains that the current staffing model is efficient and cost-effective, allowing the NTA to handle a large volume of examinations.
- Sanctioned Permanent Posts
- 39
- Occupied Permanent Posts
- 24
- Contractual Personnel
- 73
- Outsourced Staff
- 124
- Total Contractual and Outsourced Employees
- 197
- Examinations Conducted Since 2018
- 270+
- Candidate Registrations
- 6.6 crore+
- Income in 2019-20
- ₹504.16 crore
- Expenditure in 2019-20
- ₹440.20 crore
- Income in 2023-24
- ₹1,116.84 crore
- Expenditure in 2023-24
- ₹1,040.96 crore
