NTA overhaul after NEET row: Centre appoints 2 new directors, joint director

NEW DELHI, (IANS): Continuing the revamp of the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET UG row, the Central government appointed two new directors and a joint director to the key examination agency, official documents showed on Friday.

According to official orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on August 27, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Prasanna Venkatesh V and IPS officer Ravi Kumar Singh have been appointed as directors in the National Testing Agency.

Prasanna Venkatesh, a 2012 batch IAS officer, has been posted in the NTA under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of five years.

The IAS officer, a graduate from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has served as Secretary, Social Welfare Department and AP Social Welfare Residential Education Institutions Society, Guntur.

Ravi Kumar Singh, a 2012 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer recommended for Central deputation by the Union Hom Ministry, has also been appointed as director in NTA, said an official memorandum issued on Thursday.

He has also been shifted to the Department of Higher Education for a period of five years, the order said.

Ravi Kumar Singh served as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police.

The Department of Personnel and Training further informed that Amit Samdariya, a 2016 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, will serve as joint director (deputy secretary level) in the NTA for a period of four years.

The Central government began an overhaul of the NTA soon after the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar last month to highlight NEET UG-2026 irregularities.

As part of the revamp, the NTA sacked 47 of its officials, a measure aimed at initiating legal and criminal action may against some of them amidst the students' agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities.

One of the key changes expected to be introduced, includes tweaking NTA's outsourcing methods in order to ensure a leak-proof system and introducing a four-tier question paper checking process with additional layers of scrutiny.