Mumbai, August 29: The central government has appointed two directors and one joint director at the National Testing Agency (NTA). The orders were issued on August 27, and the information has come to light today.
IPS Ravi Kumar Singh and IAS officer Prasanna Venkatesh have been appointed as directors, while Amit Samdaria, an IRS officer from the 2016 batch, will serve as the joint director.
All three officials are required to assume their positions within three weeks from the date of the order. The directive states that failure to comply will initiate the process of disqualification from the Central Staffing Scheme.
These appointments come in the wake of significant changes within the NTA following the NEET paper leak incident. On July 25, the NTA dismissed 47 officials in connection with the leak.
Prime Minister Modi addressed the issue in a video message on July 23, stating that the paper leak is not a trivial matter and has caused distress to millions of students and their parents. He emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that students do not lose an academic year and mentioned that 22 lakh students were examined in a short period.
Furthermore, the government introduced an anti-paper leak amendment bill during the monsoon session, which was passed by both houses and received presidential assent on August 1. This law will not only apply to the NTA but also to UPSC, the Staff Selection Commission, banking, and other public examinations.
The NEET paper leak case, which occurred on May 3, 2026, led to the cancellation of the exam and a subsequent re-examination. The incident has reportedly resulted in several student suicides across the country. Protests were held at Jantar Mantar for a month, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was compelled to resign.
Currently, the CBI is investigating the paper leak case, which spans multiple states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Delhi, with 13 suspects arrested so far. The CBI is expected to file a charge sheet soon.