Parliamentary Panel Asks for a System to Make the NTA Answerable to Parliament After the NEET-UG 2026 Leak
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports presented its 382nd Report, titled "Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency (NTA)". The committee is chaired by Rajya Sabha member Mukul Wasnik.
The committee said the Department of Higher Education may bring in a proper parliamentary framework so that the NTA becomes accountable (answerable) to both Houses of Parliament.
It also suggested that the NTA report every year to Parliament on cases registered, investigated and prosecuted under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Other suggestions include a public list of blacklisted exam vendors, disclosure of investigations into exam irregularities, and a review of age and attempt limits for major exams, including NEET-UG.
On the planned move of NEET-UG to computer-based tests (CBT), the panel said all exam centres should be owned and run by the Union or state governments, with at least one centre in every district, and with a transparent, independently audited method for comparing scores across sessions (normalisation).
The report follows the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026. The exam was held on 3 May 2026 and cancelled on 12 May after a paper leak; a re-exam was held on 21 June 2026, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe.
National Testing Agency (NTA)
The National Testing Agency, or NTA, is the body that conducts India's biggest national entrance exams, such as NEET-UG (for medical colleges), JEE Main (for engineering colleges), CUET (for central universities) and UGC-NET (for lecturer eligibility). It works under the Ministry of Education. It is an autonomous body, which means it runs its own day-to-day work, and it is self-sustained, which means it pays for itself from the exam fees candidates pay.
The 382nd Report goes straight to the NTA's biggest weakness: as a society, it is not directly answerable to Parliament. After the NEET-UG 2026 cancellation, the committee wants a framework under which the NTA reports to both Houses, including yearly data on cases under the anti-paper-leak law.
Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs)
Departmentally Related Standing Committees, or DRSCs, are small permanent groups of MPs that closely examine the work of government ministries. There are 24 of them, and each looks after one or more ministries. Each has 31 members: 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. They study budgets, bills and policies in detail, and then give reports with suggestions to Parliament.
The 382nd Report on the NTA was produced by a DRSC: the Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, which works under the Rajya Sabha. Its suggestions, such as making the NTA answerable to Parliament, are advisory, so the government will reply through an Action Taken Report.
- Report: 382nd Report, "Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency (NTA)"
- Committee: Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports (Rajya Sabha); chairperson Mukul Wasnik
- Key ask: a parliamentary framework for NTA accountability to both Houses; annual report to Parliament on cases under the Public Examinations Act
- NEET-UG 2026: exam on 3 May, cancelled 12 May, re-exam 21 June 2026; over 22 lakh candidates; probe by CBI
- NTA: Cabinet approval 10 November 2017; society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
- Earlier reports: 371st Report (tabled December 2025) and 381st Action Taken Report (June 2026) also pressed for NTA reforms
- Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 came into force on 21 June 2024; amended in 2026 (President's assent 31 July 2026)