NTA Builds Rs 448 Crore Surplus in 6 Years, Panel Urges Stronger Exam Systems and Vendor Checks

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has generated a surplus of nearly Rs 448 crore over the last six years, and a parliamentary committee now wants that money to be used to make the examination system stronger and more reliable. According to the committee’s latest action taken report, the NTA collected around Rs 3,512.98 crore and spent Rs 3,064.77 crore on conducting exams during this period. The panel said this accumulated amount should be used to build the agency’s own exam capacity and improve the monitoring of vendors linked to the examination process.Read the article for more details.

Panel Seeks Faster Reforms After Repeated Exam Irregularities

The issue has been highlighted in the committee’s 381st Action Taken Report, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh. The panel said it is worried that exam-related irregularities are still taking place even after the government introduced corrective steps following last year’s controversies around national entrance tests. It backed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s view that the NTA still needs major improvement.

The committee also asked the agency to speed up the implementation of recommendations made by the high-level expert committee led by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan. While the ministry has already formed a high-powered steering committee under him to track these reforms, the panel said cancellations and paper-related problems continue to create stress and uncertainty for students. It has now asked the Department of Higher Education to release a clear, time-bound roadmap and also hold wider consultations with stakeholders so that competitive exams can be conducted in a more foolproof way.

Vendor Oversight, Blacklist System and NTA’s Financial Stand

The committee also raised concern about private companies involved in paper setting, exam management, and evaluation. It pointed out that firms blacklisted by one organisation or state government sometimes manage to get contracts elsewhere. To stop this, the panel recommended a nationwide blacklist of such firms.

In response, the Department of Higher Education said the NTA does not outsource its core functions, including paper setting and evaluation. It also said the agency keeps records of penalised vendors and does not hire firms blacklisted by the NTA. Bidders are also required to declare if they have been blacklisted by any government body.

On finances, the department said the NTA is a self-sustaining body and does not receive government funding. It added that the agency needs large funds every year for exam centre bookings, expert payments, software, and security. On average, around Rs 74.5 crore remains each year after expenses, which is usually used for preparation for the next exam cycle. Any balance left after future planning, it said, can be used in a suitable manner.