NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday appointed five officials to key positions in the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has faced criticism over issues related to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak and other concerns.
The Appointment Committees of the Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions announced the appointment of a Joint Director, a Joint Secretary and three Directors.
This marks a crucial step in the ongoing overhaul of the NTA aimed at strengthening the institution, with contractual staff being replaced by permanent appointees.
The order issued by the Cabinet Committee said Anshuman Sharma, an IRS officer of the 2005 batch, has been appointed as the Joint Secretary for a tenure of five years. The post of Director at NTA, lying vacant, has been upgraded to the level of Joint Secretary.
Amit Samdariya, a Customs and Indirect Tax officer of the 2016 batch, has been appointed as Joint Director (Deputy Secretary rank) for a period of five years. He was recommended for Central deputation by the Department of Revenue.
IPS officer Ravi Kumar Singh of the 2012 batch has been appointed as Director for a period of five years. The Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended him for central deputation.
Sathiya S, a 2011 Income Tax officer, presently serving as Director Co-operation, has been recommended as a Director at NTA. She has been appointed under the `lateral shift’ basis for a period up to August 24, 2030.
V Venkatesh Prasanna has been appointed as Director in the NTA for a period of five years.
Earlier, on May 16, the Centre had appointed two Joint Directors and two Joint Secretaries to the National Testing Agency (NTA) on an immediate basis.
The seven-member committee headed by K Radhakrishnan, which analysed the reasons for the NEET-UG 2024 leak, had recommended the hiring of permanent staff within the NTA to bring in more accountability.
A parliamentary panel committee in December 2025 had called for strengthening the organisation internally. The Supreme Court also had recently questioned why the NTA operated with only a small team of 30 to 40 officials.
