New Delhi: Amidst the controversy surrounding paper leaks, Pradeep Singh Kharola was named the next Director General of the National Testing Agency. Additional responsibility for NTA DG was given to Pradeep Singh Kharola, Chairman and MD of the India Trade Promotion Organization, until appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders... The Cabinets Appointments Committee gave its approval to the change of guard on Saturday.Under the Indian Ministry of Education, the NTA is an independent organization. It offers several entrance tests, such as the UGC-NET and NEET.Pradeep Singh Kharola has been given additional charge of the post of Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA), Ministry of Education. pic.twitter.com/owLKo75ApU— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2024The NTA faced criticism earlier in the month when the UGC-NET was canceled by the government despite claims of paper leaks in the NEET-UG test and calls for its cancelation.The rationale behind the UGC-NET cancellation was disclosed by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday, June 20. He added that the question paper was found to have been leaked on the darknet, leading to the cancellation of the exam. Kharola is an IAS officer from batch 1985.Disagreement about leaked documentsOn May 5, the NEET exam was administered at 4,750 locations, and almost 24 lakh students took it. Although the results were supposed to be released on June 14, they were only revealed on June 4 because the answer sheet examination was finished sooner.Six students from a center in Faridabad, Haryana, made the list of pupils who achieved a perfect 720, which is unique in the history of the NTA and raised questions about irregularities. Grace marks are said to have played a part in 67 students sharing the top spot. For admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other relevant courses in public and private universities across the nation, the NTA administers the NEET-UG exam.On Thursday, June 20, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed the rationale for the UGC-NET cancelation. He said that the exam was called off after it was discovered that the question paper had been leaked on the darknet.
