Ban NEET: Lack of legislation may allow NTA to face no consequences, MP P Wilson criticises Govt

NEW DELHI: DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson took a dig at the Union government and criticised it for not showing interest in introducing legislation to provide statutory backing for NTA exams concerning the interest of students. “This lack of legislation may allow NTA to avoid accountability and face no consequences for corruption or illegal activities,” he said, citing the recent irregularities in UGC NET and NEET UG 2024.

He reiterated that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted by the NTA, for admission to MBBS courses be abolished and the power to conduct the exam be given to the state governments.

“NTA-brain-child of the BJP government, which is responsible for conducting significant exams such as NEET, CUET, UGC-NET, CMAT, GPAT, SWAYAM, and others, is an independent, unaccountable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act. This makes it similar to any other Residential Flats Association!” he said in a recent post on X.

He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce amendments in the ongoing Parliament session to “The National Medical Commission Act 2019” and delete NEET and EXIT provisions to save the future of the medical profession and genuine, deserving students.

NTA has no general body

NTA, one of the world’s largest testing agencies, is capable of conducting 3 lakh tests in a day, he claimed. Around 13 million students have registered for exams through the NTA portal. “The Union Cabinet has approved an initial funding of Rs 25 crore for the agency's operations in the first year and Rs 35 crore for 2023. The agency is financed by the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education,” he said.

Attaching the certificate of registration, he said that the NTA was registered in 2018 under the Societies Registration Act and it claims to be an autonomous and self-sufficient testing organisation under the education ministry.

The NTA has a ten-member governing body which is led by former UPSC chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi. The former director general Subodh Singh was shunted out by the education ministry recently after the recent allegations.

“A ten-member governing body leads the NTA and does not have a general body. Interestingly, no parliamentary act governs it and is also not subject to the rules governing government employees' conduct,” he said.

Also read NTA exam mess left Delhi University with over 1,100 vacant posts for 3 years

‘Does Dharmendra Pradhan have answers?’

Addressing Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has been facing strong criticism from the opposition, the Rajya Sabha MP said: “Can the millions of young candidates who have placed their trust in the exams since 2018 be taken advantage of and see their innocent lives ruined by this unregulated and unaccountable organization? What answer does Dharmendra Pradhan have for these questions?”

“The UPSC, which conducts civil service exams, was established through the Government of India Act of 1935. The NTA took over in 2018, but allegations of irregularities and misconduct have marred 12 examinations conducted by the agency,” he alleged.

He pointed out that the BJP-led government passed 427 Bills in the Lok Sabha and 365 bills in the Rajya Sabha in the last decade, “however, the Union government did not show any interest in introducing legislation to provide statutory backing for NTA concerning the interest of students. This lack of legislation may allow NTA to avoid accountability and face no consequences for corruption or illegal activities.”