NTA's Rs 448 crore surplus in six years raises questions about exam system reforms

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has built up a surplus of nearly Rs 448 crore over six years. But the bigger question is whether that money has translated into stronger exams, better oversight and fewer controversies for students.

In Short

• Six-year collections touched Rs 3,512.98 crore, with spending at Rs 3,064.77 crore
• A parliamentary panel said the surplus should strengthen in-house exam capacity
• The committee flagged continuing irregularities despite reforms announced after last year

Haven't we been here before? We saw the NEET 2024 paper leak and now the 2026 UG paper leak.

Another year. Another NEET controversy. Another examination conducted under extraordinary security, cyber surveillance and intense public scrutiny.

For millions of students, this has become an anxious pattern rather than an exception.

Two years ago, the 2024 NEET paper leak shook the country's examination system. A high-level committee was constituted, the government promised sweeping reforms, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan himself admitted that "a lot of improvement is needed in the NTA."

Around the same time, a Parliamentary Standing Committee closely examined the NTA's finances and functioning. Its findings have come back into focus today for one simple reason: the questions it asked then are still waiting for convincing answers.

What's making headlines is a number from a Parliamentary Standing Committee: the NTA generated a surplus of nearly Rs 448 crore between 2018 and 2024.

The figure itself is not controversial. The question it raises is.

If the country's biggest examination agency has built such a financial cushion, why do India's most important entrance examinations continue to face repeated allegations of leaks, irregularities and last-minute crises?

MONEY ISN'T THE PROBLEM, BUT WHERE DID IT GO IF NOT REFORMS

The Parliamentary Standing Committee did not fault the NTA for earning money.

Instead, it asked a far more important question: Shouldn't every rupee collected from students be making examinations safer and more reliable?

The figure comes from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, which examined the NTA's finances and functioning. According to the committee, the agency collected Rs 3,512.98 crore through examination fees between 2018 and 2024, while spending Rs 3,064.77 crore, leaving behind a surplus of almost Rs 448 crore.

According to the Parliamentary panel, that money should not simply remain on the books. It should be used to build stronger examination infrastructure, reduce dependence on outside agencies, strengthen internal systems and tighten oversight wherever private vendors are involved.

Because if lakhs of students stake their futures on these examinations every year, trust cannot remain an afterthought.

REFORMS HAVE BEGUN. STUDENTS STILL WAITING FOR RESULTS

The Parliamentary Standing Committee acknowledged that the government has started acting.

It welcomed the formation of the high-powered steering committee headed by former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.

It took note of the Education Ministry's acknowledgement that significant improvements are still required within the NTA.

But it also made an uncomfortable observation.

Despite committees, announcements and promises of reform, examination controversies have continued to surface. Some exams have had to be cancelled. Others have faced allegations that left students anxious and uncertain.

Its message was simple: reforms cannot remain works in progress forever.

The committee has asked the Department of Higher Education to publish a clear, time-bound roadmap so students know when these promises will actually translate into change.

CAN BLACKLISTED VENDORS SIMPLY RETURN SOMEWHERE ELSE?

One recommendation reveals another gap the Parliamentary Standing Committee believes needs attention.

Today, a company penalised or blacklisted by one examination body or state government can still secure contracts elsewhere because India has no central database tracking such firms.

The parliamentary panel wants that to change.

It has proposed a nationwide blacklist so agencies handling sensitive work cannot simply move from one examination authority to another after facing action.

The government, however, maintains that the NTA does not outsource core functions like paper setting or evaluation. It also says vendors are already required to disclose any blacklisting, while the agency keeps records of firms that have faced penalties.

THE NTA SAYS THE SURPLUS HAS A PURPOSE

The Department of Higher Education has defended the agency's finances.

Unlike many government bodies, the NTA does not receive regular grants and largely runs on examination fees. It needs substantial funds in advance to book examination centres, hire technical experts, pay software vendors and put security systems in place.

According to the department, about Rs 74.5 crore remains on average every year after meeting these expenses. Most of it is carried forward to fund the next examination cycle.

In other words, the government sees the surplus as financial preparedness, not idle money.

NTA'S SALARY BILL REMAINS A SECRET AS RTI REQUEST DENIED

The transparency questions surrounding the NTA go beyond just the surplus.

The agency has refused to disclose how much it spends on salaries and staff, or how much its highest-paid officials earn, even after a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by India Today sought exactly this information.

In a reply dated June 13, 2026, the NTA said the data was "not available in the desired format" and invoked Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, arguing that compiling information from different sources would amount to "generating information," which is beyond the scope of the law.

Notably, the NTA did not say the information doesn't exist. Instead, it maintained that compiling it would create new data.

The response raises questions about transparency in an organisation that occupies a critical position in India's education system. The agency's staffing structure is already public: in a December 2024 reply to Parliament, the Ministry of Education disclosed that the NTA has 198 personnel — comprising 22 employees on deputation, 38 contractual employees, and 138 outsourced staff.

This assumes added importance given the K Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendation to minimise outsourcing of examination staff and centres, stressing that high-stakes examination functions should not rely excessively on temporary or weakly supervised delivery chains.

Against this backdrop, the NTA's refusal to reveal personnel expenditure and senior officials' remuneration acquires greater public interest significance — especially when the Parliamentary Standing Committee is asking where the Rs 448 crore surplus should go if not toward strengthening internal systems.

FOR STUDENTS, THE REAL DEFICIT IS TRUST

At the end of the day, few aspirants are concerned about the NTA's balance sheet.

What they care about is whether they can prepare for an examination without worrying about paper leaks, cancellations, investigations or emergency security measures.

The Parliamentary Committee's observations ultimately point to something bigger than accounting.

The real test for the NTA is not whether it can generate a surplus.

It is whether that surplus can finally buy back something far more valuable: public trust.

- Ends