Who is Pradeep Singh Kharola, new DG of NTA amid NEET, NET exams controversy?
NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh has been put on "compulsory wait" in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) till further orders.
Pradeep Singh Kharola has been given additional charge as director general of the National Testing Agency (NTA). Subodh Kumar Singh, the previous NTA DG, has been removed and placed on "compulsory wait" in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) amid controversy over exam irregularities.
The government has cancelled the UGC-NET even as there are allegations of paper leak in NEET-UG as well and demand for its cancellation. On Friday, the government announced postponment of CSIR-UGC NET also.
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Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said earlier that the "top leadership" of NTA is under scrutiny for alleged irregularities in the NEET and NET exams. However, he denied any paper leak in the CSIR-UGC NET, which was postponed.
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What is NTA?
The National Testing Agency (NTA), established in November 2017 under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, is an autonomous body tasked with conducting various entrance examinations for admissions to higher educational institutions. NTA conducts exams such as NEET, JEE, CTET, GATE, GPAT, GMAT, CAT, UGC-NET and CSIR-UGC NET.
The agency is chaired by an eminent educationist appointed by the education ministry, currently chaired by Pradeep Kumar Joshi, a former chairman of UPSC.
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Who is Pradeep Singh Kharola?
• Pradeep Singh Kharola, a 1985 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, was appointed the head of Air India in November 2017.
• During Kharola's tenure, the government failed in its first attempt to privatise Air India, Mint reported.
• In 2019, Kharola was appointed as the new civil aviation secretary.
• From 2022, he is serving as the chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
• Kharola has been assigned additional charge of the testing agency till appointment of a regular incumbent.
