A Parliamentary Standing Committee has called for a legislative mechanism to ensure the accountability of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to both Houses of Parliament, in the wake of the NEET UG paper leak and the cancellation of the examination. The Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress MP Mukul Wasnik, presented its 382nd report on October 9. It said the education department may introduce an appropriate parliamentary framework that ensures the NTA’s accountability to Parliament.

The paper leak that triggered the review

The NTA cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination, conducted on May 3, on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak, triggering the parliamentary review. The panel said that organised networks profiting from examination fraud are adaptive and resourceful and will always seek the weakest link in the chain. The NTA therefore needs adequate staff, robust security protocols, clear accountability mechanisms and digitalisation of operations and examinations to stay ahead of any challenges.

The committee flagged a 41 per cent vacancy rate in the NTA’s sanctioned permanent posts, with only 23 of 39 positions occupied, and recommended hiring permanent specialists in areas like cybersecurity, psychometrics and logistics rather than relying on deputation.

Reforms proposed

To cut leak risks, the report urged a shift from pen-and-paper tests to computer-based testing with government-owned and operated exam centres, a large and continuously updated question bank with final papers drawn digitally close to test time, strict quarantine for paper-vetters, and the use of experts from IITs, AIIMS and IIMs to develop and verify questions. It also recommended a national registry of blacklisted examination vendors, since firms blacklisted by one state had continued to secure contracts elsewhere. While recognising the NTA’s past efforts at improvement, the panel said the cancellation of NEET UG 2026 showed that further improvement was necessary.