NTA fires 47 officials, begins major overhaul amid paper leak row

NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency has terminated 47 officials and begun rebuilding its workforce with specialist leadership in cybersecurity, forensic investigation, test-centre operations and assessment research, government sources said on Friday.Some of those terminated will also face legal and criminal action based on internal inquiries and inputs from investigating agencies. More measures are expected as responsibility is fixed for failures in national entrance examinations.The first phase includes four General Manager appointments and 16 Young Professionals through UPSC’s PRATIBHA Setu portal. Recruitment will be overseen by the K Radhakrishnan-led monitoring committee, which will hold its first meeting on Saturday, July 25, ministry sources said.The crackdown follows the NEET-UG paper leak, which forced nearly 20 lakh candidates to take the examination again on June 21 after the May 3 test was cancelled. Sources stressed that the 47 personnel had been terminated, not merely transferred or marked for removal.