NEET Row: NTA director removed, Former ISRO chief led panel to investigate irregularities
New Delhi: Facing a strong backlash from every corner of the country over alleged irregularities in conduct of the NEET exam this year, the government has now removed the Director General of the exam conducting body, the NTA ( National Testing Authority), Mr Subodh Singh from his post.
An official said he has been put on "compulsory wait" in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) till further orders.
Instead, the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola has been assigned additional charge of the testing agency till appointment of a regular incumbent.
"NTA DG has been put on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training. Pradeep Singh Kharola has been assigned additional charge of NTA DG till further orders," a senior official said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has also constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts under the chairmanship of Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman BoG, IIT Kanpur, to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations.
" The Committee to make recommendations on Reform in mechanism of examination process, improvement in Data Security protocols and structure and functioning of NTA. The Committee is to submit its report to the Ministry within 2 months," stated the Ministry of Education in its release
Terms of Reference of the committee
(i) Reform in mechanism of examination process
(a) To analyse the end-to-end examination process and suggest measures to improve efficiency of the system and to forestall any possible breach.
(b) To conduct a thorough review of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)/Protocols of the NTA, and suggest measures to strengthen these procedures/protocols along with monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance at every level.
(ii) Improvement in Data Security protocols
(a) To evaluate the existing data security processes and protocols of NTA and recommend measures for its improvement.
(b) To examine existing security protocols related to the paper-setting and other processes for different examinations and make recommendations to enhance robustness of system.
(iii) Structure & Functioning of National Testing Agency
(a) To make recommendations on the organizational structure and functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) for implementation of recommendations given under point (i) and (ii) and clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of functionaries at every level.
(b) Assess the current Grievance Redressal Mechanism of the NTA, identify areas of improvement and make recommendations for enhancing its efficiency.
Who are the commitee members?
The following shall be the Chairman and Members of the High-Level Committee.
1 | Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman BoG, IIT Kanpur. | Chairman |
2 | Dr. Randeep Guleria, Former Director, AIIMS Delhi. | Member |
3 | Prof. B J Rao, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Hyderabad. | Member |
4 | Prof. Ramamurthy K, Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras. | Member |
5 | Shri Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder, People Strong and Board Member- Karmayogi Bharat. | Member |
6 | Prof. Aditya Mittal, Dean Student Affairs, IIT Delhi | Member |
7 | Shri Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India | Member Secretary |
The Committee can co-opt any Subject Matter Expert to assist them, the government release further added
