Amid protests over the NEET paper leak case, the Ministry of Education has dismissed 47 officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA), according to sources cited by news agency ANI.
Legal action will also be initiated against some of them, IANS sources said.
Centre is preparing a major overhaul of the NTA and plans to restructure the agency within the next month. The outsourcing process is also set to be revamped based on the recommendations of an expert committee. A leak-proof examination system will be introduced as part of the reforms, IANS sources added.
A day earlier, on Thursday, the government issued orders transferring and promoting 17 senior officers.
The biggest reshuffle took place in the Ministry of Education, where 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar was appointed Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. He will replace the current secretary, Vineet Joshi, who has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Additionally, 1995-batch IAS officer TK Anil Kumar has been promoted and appointed Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.
Action taken within 20 hours of Modi’s video message
The NTA’s decision to remove officials in the paper leak case came within 20 hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video message. Around midnight on Thursday, the Prime Minister released a two-and-a-half-minute video statement.
In the 2-minute-56-second video, posted on his X handle at around 12 am on July 23, Modi said:
- The paper leak is not a minor issue. It has caused immense pain to lakhs of students and their parents.
- Over the past two and a half months, we have taken several steps against the paper leak. The culprits have been arrested and are in jail.
- It was our responsibility to ensure that students did not lose an academic year. That is why we conducted the examination for 2.2 million students in a short period.
- We are not satisfied with just this. I have directed the setting up of fast-track courts.
What is the NEET paper leak case? 13 arrested so far
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for over a month against the NEET UG paper leak. Sonam Wangchuk observed a 26-day hunger strike, while MPs have been creating an uproar in Parliament over the issue.
The case is currently being investigated by the CBI. Searches and investigations have been conducted in several states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Delhi. So far, 13 accused have been arrested, and the CBI is expected to file its chargesheet soon.
