The CBSE has been asked to respond by June 8 and the NTA by June 10
NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary panel has asked the National Testing Agency to define what constitutes a “paper leak” and disclose whether any such incidents have occurred in exams conducted since 2018, sources said.
The questionnaire follows the agency’s appearance before the panel last week, where officials maintained there was no leak from its system and said some questions had circulated through a guess paper.
The committee, headed by Congress member Digvijaya Singh, is examining issues related to the NEET examination and the on-screen marking (OSM) system. It has sought written responses from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the NTA.
The panel asked the NTA whether it conducted any internal inquiry into alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024, apart from the probe by the CBI.
It also sought details on staff strength over the past three years, recruitment since 2022, and copies of annual reports submitted to the Higher Education Department. In addition, the panel has requested a status report on all 101 recommendations of the committee led by former Isro chief K. Radhakrishnan, along with action taken by the NTA.
The expert committee, set up by the Centre in June 2024, was tasked with suggesting measures for transparent and secure conduct of examinations, including structural reforms and data security improvements.
The CBSE has been asked to respond by June 8 and the NTA by June 10. Both agencies are yet to submit replies, sources said.
Separately, the panel has questioned the CBSE on reported changes in successive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the OSM system. It sought clarification on whether background checks were conducted on COEMPT EduTeck before awarding the contract and whether its links to Globarena Technologies were considered.
The committee also asked why certain eligibility conditions were altered in later RFPs, including provisions related to bidder performance history, blacklisting criteria and minimum turnover requirements.
It further sought explanations for changes in technical specifications, including shifts in data centre requirements, removal of conditions related to scanning processes, and reduction in minimum scanning resolution.
The panel has also asked why criteria related to handling large-scale projects were modified and sought documents related to RFPs issued in 2025, which, sources said, have not yet been provided by the CBSE.
It also asked whether the CBSE had acted on the observers’ report from the OSM dry run and whether the findings were shared with the Ministry of Education.
