Govt Replaces NTA Chief Amid NEET Row, Pradeep Kharola Given Additional Charge As DG Of Exam Body

Pradeep Singh Kharola has been given additional charge of the post of Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA).

Amidst the ongoing row surrounding NEET-UG exam 2024, the government sacked National Testing Agency chief Subodh Kumar, replacing him with IAS (Retd) Pradeep Singh Kharola, who will now helm the exam body. Kharola has been given additional charge of the post of Director General, NTA, Ministry of Education.

The former Civil Aviation Secretary, Kharola, was in 2022, appointed the Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion Organisation. He is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, and in November 2017, he was named the chairman and managing director of Air India Ltd.

Centre, in a notification on Saturday, stated: "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the following: Assignment of additional charge of the post of Director General, National Testing Agency, Ministry of Education to Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola. IAS (KN:85) (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation till appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier." 

The announcement comes as the Education ministry notified a seven-member panel, headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan, to ensure fair, smooth, and transparent conduct of examinations by the NTA.

After the removal of NTA chief Subodh Kumar, Congress leader Surendra Rajput said: "Removing the NTA director will not help. The issue is about ideology and making mediocres the heads everywhere. Paper leak isn't happening from just one place, but it's an entire system which includes coaching mafia. You need to change the entire system."

7-Member Panel Headed By Former ISRO Chief To Review NTA

"Transparent, tamper-free and zero-error examinations are a commitment. Setting up of the high-level committee of experts is the first of a series of steps to improve the efficiency of the examination process, put an end to all possible malpractices, strengthen data security protocols and overhaul and reform the NTA," Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, adding that the interests of the students and their future will remain a top priority for the government.

The panel is supposed to submit its report within two months. It has been directed to make recommendations on reforms in the examination process, structure and functioning of the NTA, and improvement in data security protocols, news agency PTI reported.

Besides the former ISRO chief, the panel also includes former AIIMS Delhi director Randeep Guleria, Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad B J Rao, Ministry of Education Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal, People Strong co-founder and Karmayogi Bharat board member Pankaj Bansal, Professor Emeritus (Department of Civil Engineering) at IIT Madras K Ramamurthy, and IIT Delhi Dean of Student Affairs Aditya Mittal.

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