NEW DELHI, JULY 24: At the heart of India's biggest examination controversy, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing mounting questions over its credibility, staffing and accountability, with a Parliamentary disclosure revealing that the agency responsible for conducting the country's most prestigious entrance examinations functions with just 39 permanent posts, while relying heavily on contractual and outsourced staff.
The disclosures, made by the Ministry of Education in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on July 22, come amid the raging NEET-UG paper leak controversy that has sparked nationwide protests by students, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and civil society groups. The issue also figured prominently during activist Sonam Wangchuk's 26-day hunger strike, which ended after negotiations with the Centre.
The reply states that the NTA, established in 2018 as a self-sustained autonomous organisation, has conducted over 270 examinations involving more than 6.6 crore candidate registrations. In 2026 alone, it has already conducted 12 examinations with over 65 lakh registrations. NEET-UG 2026 was held at 5,432 centres across 565 cities in 13 languages, followed by a re-examination on June 21 after the controversy.
Despite handling examinations that determine the future of millions of students every year, the NTA has only 39 sanctioned permanent posts, all filled through deputation. It additionally employs 73 contractual staff and 124 outsourced personnel, besides engaging thousands of temporary field-level officials such as observers, city coordinators, centre superintendents and members of State and District Level Coordination Committees during examinations.
The agency's financial profile has also expanded rapidly. Official figures show its income rose from about ₹504 crore in 2019-20 to over ₹1,116 crore in 2023-24, while expenditure increased from approximately ₹440 crore to ₹1,040 crore over the same period.
UDF Seeks NTA's Abolition
Amid the continuing controversy, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has demanded that the NTA be scrapped altogether and replaced with a statutory national testing authority created through an Act of Parliament.
The UDF has argued that the repeated controversies surrounding competitive examinations have severely eroded public confidence in the agency and that only an independent statutory body with greater transparency, accountability and parliamentary oversight can restore students' faith in the examination system.
"The credibility of the NTA has been seriously questioned. Students should be able to repose complete faith in the examination process," the opposition alliance has maintained while pressing for a complete overhaul of the country's entrance examination mechanism.
Supreme Court Petition Challenges NTA
The credibility of the NTA is also under judicial scrutiny. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) pending before the Supreme Court has sought wide-ranging reforms in the functioning of the agency and raised concerns over the integrity, transparency and accountability of the national examination system in the wake of repeated allegations of paper leaks and examination irregularities.
The developments come as student organisations and protest groups continue to demand accountability for the NEET controversy. The CJP-led movement has sought the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stronger anti-paper leak legislation and structural reforms in India's examination system. Sonam Wangchuk, who ended his fast after 26 days following discussions with Union ministers, has also called for restoring public trust in the country's education and examination framework.
The Parliamentary disclosures provide an unprecedented glimpse into the organisation at the centre of India's entrance examination system.
While they underscore the enormous scale of NTA's operations, they have also intensified the debate over whether an agency with a small permanent workforce and heavy dependence on contractual manpower is equipped to safeguard the integrity of examinations that shape the careers of millions of young Indians.
