The Congress party on Sunday accused the National Testing Agency (NTA) of prioritising revenue generation over the future of millions of Indian youths, alleging that the agency had netted a profit of Rs 448 crore in the last six years. Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared details on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the Minister of State in the Education Ministry, Sukanta Majumdar's reply in the Rajya Sabha on July 31.
"The National Testing Agency (NTA) is at the very heart of the NEET scandal. It is a body of the Education Ministry whose only purpose is to function via outsourcing to private vendors. Not only do these vendors very often have dubious credentials, but the NTA itself is headed by a person who presided over the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission, which has seen mega-scams," Ramesh said.
In his reply to the Rajya Sabha, Majumdar revealed that the NTA collected an estimated Rs 3,512.98 crore, while it spent Rs 3,064.77 crore on the conduct of examinations, resulting in a net profit of Rs 448 crore over the past six years. Ramesh pointed out that this surplus had not been used to build the agency's capabilities to conduct tests itself or to strengthen regulatory and monitoring capabilities for its vendors.
"The future of millions of India's youths has ultimately become a mere revenue-raising exercise for the non-biological PM's Government," Ramesh added.
Education Ministery On NTA Using 'Specialised' Agencies For Exams
Established in 2018, the NTA has conducted over 240 examinations involving more than 5.4 crore candidates. It operates as a self-sustaining organisation, funded by the examination fees it collects. The revenue generated from these fees has been significant, yet questions arise regarding the efficacy and transparency of its operations.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Sukanta Majumdar's Reply mentioned that the NTA has been self-sustaining through examination fee collections since its inception, generating substantial revenue year-wise. Various operational and security measures for conducting exams involve specialised/experienced agencies, it added.
"Considering the sensitivity involved in competitive examinations, various operational and security measures are undertaken for their smooth and fair conduct. Such measures involve engagement of specialised/experienced agencies for providing services like capturing of Biometric, frisking, CCTV surveillance, Al analytics with a view to identify any potential impersonation, Exam delivery, etc." the ministry mentioned.
The percentages of women and SC/ST employees working in NTA were provided, with women constituting 17.3% and SC employees 13% among those on deputation.