Indian parliamentary panel urges tighter NTA oversight after NEET cancellation

A parliamentary committee called for the National Testing Agency to answer to both houses and recommended changes to entrance exams after NEET UG 2026 was cancelled.

India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports recommended a legislative framework to make the National Testing Agency (NTA) accountable to Parliament. In a report presented on October 9, the panel said public trust in the agency’s examinations was a matter of social justice and national integrity.

The committee acknowledged the NTA’s past efforts to improve but said the cancellation of NEET UG 2026 showed that further reforms were needed. The exam, held on May 3, was cancelled on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak.

Among the proposals are moving from paper-based exams to computer-based testing, using government-run centres and reducing reliance on private venues. The panel also recommended expanding and regularly updating the question bank so that papers can be assembled without question-setters knowing in advance which questions will be used.

The report said the agency needed adequate staffing, robust security protocols, clear accountability and digitalised operations. It also suggested allowing late-arriving candidates to sit the exam after signing an undertaking. The recommendations appear in a report released by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.