4 hrs ago
NTA Overhaul Strengthens Staffing and Security as NEET-UG Shift Looms
The National Testing Agency is changing how it runs important exams.
It is reorganizing staff so people work in specialized areas instead of being assigned only to one exam.
More senior government officers are also being added.
NTA has moved to a larger office in New Delhi.
Thirty-nine CISF personnel now help protect its confidential work.
New procedures cover almost every step of an exam, from writing questions to announcing results.
A task force is studying whether the NEET-UG medical entrance exam should be held on computers instead of paper.
The task force is considering whether students in rural or poorly connected areas would be treated fairly by such a change.
NTA has moved to a functional-vertical structure organized around areas of expertise rather than individual exams.
The agency’s proposed staffing overhaul includes an upgraded Director General post and five new Joint Secretary-level positions.
Fourteen officers joined NTA in August 2026, while two Joint Directors were posted in May 2026.
NTA has moved operations to a 55,524.53-square-foot Minto Road office protected by 39 CISF personnel.
A task force is studying whether NEET-UG should shift from pen-and-paper exams to Computer-Based Testing, including equity and infrastructure concerns.
- Who
- The National Testing Agency, supported by government officers, CISF personnel, and committees overseeing examination reforms.
- What
- NTA is restructuring its organization, staffing, security, and examination procedures while reviewing a possible Computer-Based Testing format for NEET-UG.
- Where
- NTA’s operations have moved to the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road, New Delhi.
- When
- The changes were described in a recent affidavit; two Joint Directors joined in May 2026 and 14 officers joined in August 2026.
- Why
- The overhaul follows scrutiny of NTA’s examination systems after paper-leak allegations and re-exams, including the 2024 NEET-UG controversy.
Key facts
- New office space
- Up to 55,524.53 square feet across the fifth floor and parts of the fourth and sixth floors of the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road.
- Security deployment
- Thirty-nine Central Industrial Security Force personnel are deployed at the building.
- Staffing changes
- The proposed structure includes an Additional Secretary-level Director General and five new Joint Secretary-level posts.
- Recent appointments
- Two Joint Directors joined under the Central Staffing Scheme in May 2026, and 14 officers joined in August 2026.
- New procedures
- Standard Operating Procedures cover question setting, translation, printing, packing, tracking, transport, examination-day operations, centre security, and result computation.
- Security measures
- Measures include Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, facial authentication, multi-layer frisking, mobile jammers, CCTV monitoring, AI-based tools, and five-tier examination oversight.
- NEET-UG review
- A High-Powered Task Force is examining a possible shift from pen-and-paper testing to Computer-Based Testing.
Sources
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