NTA has Rs 590 crore surplus, but exam Infrastructure needs attention: Congress

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh criticised the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Union Ministry of Education, saying that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education’s report on “Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency (NTA)” "catalogues the grave incompetence and malpractice in the NTA and the Ministry of Education". The report, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik, was presented to Parliament on October 9, 2026.

The controversy centers on submissions made by the ministry of education to the parliamentary panel. According to Ramesh, the ministry made the claim “that no paper leak has occurred in an exam conducted by the NTA since its formation in 2017 till 2025.” Ramesh also added in the report,"there have been 9 paper leaks and irregularities in NTA-conducted exams that we know of.”

Ramesh questioned the government stance on institutional accountability, saying, "what hope is there for a fair investigation or accountability when the Ministry even refuses to acknowledge what went wrong in the first place”?

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Structural body

Ramesh described the testing agency's structural problems, emphasising that "the NTA is registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860." It is not a statutory body established by a parliamentary act. As a result, it operates with limited parliamentary scrutiny and responsibility.

He added that the testing agency is a "khokhla body" that assigns private contractors all important duties. Only 23 officers are now holding the 39 sanctioned positions in the NTA, resulting in a 41% vacancy rate. Furthermore, all 39 permanent posts are filled through a deputation mode with officers serving a two- to three-year tenure, preventing the development of institutional expertise and know-how.

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Vendor blacklisting absences

Addressing administrative failures, Ramesh also pointed out that “despite repeated recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, there is no nation-wide blacklist of firms which have a track record of failure in providing examination-related services such as paper setting, logistics, printing, administration etc. Firms that are blacklisted in one state routinely get government contracts in other states”..

Additionally, Ramesh expressed worries about the testing body's financial management and transparency. "Anonymity of the results and the absence of test-center wise data prevents transparency and the detection of anomalous patterns in the performance of candidates and test centers," he continued, pointing out that the NTA fails to publish the NEET-UG results.

Senior Indian politician Jairam Ramesh further stated that the NTA produced a total revenue surplus of Rs. 590 crore, which was then placed in fixed deposits to earn interest rather than being used to help students or expand exam infrastructure and capacities.