NTA chief Abhishek Singh (ANI photo)
NEW DELHI: Weeks after the massive NEET-UG 2026 controversy, a parliamentary standing committee on Thursday sought an update from National Testing Agency (NTA) director general Abhishek Singh on the ongoing probe into the paper leak, while also questioning officials on steps being taken to prevent such incidents in the future.According to news agency ANI sources, the NTA chief told the panel that the leak did not take place from their system and that CBI is conducting probe into the leak of questions that led to cancellation of the examination. The re-exam will now be held on June 21.The NEET-UG examination held on May 4 was cancelled by the NTA following the paper leak.However, the BJP-led Centre and NTA have objected to the term “paper leak”, being used widely for the failure.Education secretary Vineet Joshi also appeared before the committee meeting, where members raised concerns over the robustness of the NTA’s examination process, especially as NEET-UG is set to shift to a computer-based format from next year.Questions were asked on the required infrastructure, exam frequency, duration and safeguards needed for one of India’s largest entrance tests.Speaking to ANI after the meeting, Digvijaya Singh, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, said, “the meeting went off very well” and that inputs were received from all members. Also read: NEET UG 2026 exam fee refund process explained: Key NTA rules students must knowHe added that all members are “very concerned” about the issues discussed, including the NTA examination process, but said he “can’t go into details” at this stage. Asked about the next meeting or when findings would be presented, Singh replied, “it depends” and added, “let’s see”.Sources said committee members raised sharp questions over the NEET-UG paper leak and demanded clarity on measures being adopted to make the NTA’s testing mechanism foolproof.The panel also reviewed the implementation of the K Radhakrishnan Committee recommendations on NTA reforms. Officials informed members that nearly 75 per cent of the recommendations have already been implemented.The committee was also told that the NTA is currently facing around 25 per cent vacancies, and that steps are underway to strengthen the organisation through fresh appointments and structural improvements.Beyond examination reforms, the meeting also focused on the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the education sector and strategies to improve student employability amid rapid technological change.The panel discussed two key reports, the 379th Report on Action Taken regarding the Demands for Grants 2025-26 of the ministry of women and child development, and the 380th Report on the functioning of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework.According to sources, discussions also covered the major achievements and challenges faced by Aligarh Muslim University and the national commission for minority educational Institutions, including issues related to financial constraints, reservation implementation, administrative vacancies and NEP rollout challenges.Political tensions have continued to rise over NEET-UG 2026, which was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a coordinated paper leak. The exam, conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 abroad, was taken by over 22 lakh candidates. The Union education ministry has since ordered tighter security measures for the June 21 re-examination.
