Par panel flags continuing exam irregularities, seeks time-bound reform roadmap

new delhi: a parliamentary committee has expressed concern over continuing irregularities in competitive examinations despite measures taken by the government and recommended that the ministry of education publish a time-bound roadmap for implementing reforms suggested by a high-level panel.the parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, headed by rajya sabha mp digvijaya singh, presented its 381st action taken report on the demands for grants (2025-26) pertaining to the department of higher education to rajya sabha chairman c p radhakrishnan on tuesday.the committee endorsed education minister dharmendra pradhan's observation made on june 16, 2024, that significant improvements were needed in the functioning of the national testing agency (nta).it urged the nta to expedite implementation of the recommendations of the high-level committee of experts (hlce) headed by former isro chairman k radhakrishnan."the committee notes the steps taken by the ministry, including the constitution of a high-powered steering committee headed by k radhakrishnan to monitor implementation of the recommendations of the hlce. however, despite these measures, paper irregularities are still happening, leading to cancellation of examinations and causing anxiety among students," the report said.the panel also recommended that the department of higher education and the nta hold wider consultations with stakeholders to develop a protocol for the "foolproof" conduct of nationwide competitive examinations.it further suggested the creation of a nationwide database of blacklisted firms involved in examination-related services, noting that entities barred by one organisation or state government could continue to secure contracts elsewhere.inits response, the department of higher education said core activities such as paper setting and evaluation were not outsourced by the nta.the department said the agency maintains records of penalised vendors and includes mandatory self-disclosure clauses on blacklisting in its procurement process.the committee also reiterated its recommendation that the nta's surplus funds be utilised to strengthen its operational and regulatory capabilities.according to the report, the nta collected an estimated rs 3,512.98 crore and spent rs 3,064.77 crore on conducting examinations over the last six years, generating a surplus of about rs 448 crore.responding to the recommendation, the department said the nta is a self-sustaining organisation that does not receive government funding and that unspent income is used for preparatory activities for subsequent examination cycles.