IAS Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed the new Director General (DG) of the National Testing Agency (NTA). Recent irregularities in examinations led the government to replace the former NTA chief, IAS Subodh Kumar, with Pradeep Singh Kharola. Kharola also bears the responsibility of being the Chairman and Managing Director of ITPO.
Prior to this, Kharola has been at the helm of the government-owned aviation company, Air India. He played a significant role at Air India, taking over during a critical phase when the government was finalizing the strategic disinvestment of the national carrier.
A 1985-batch IAS officer from Karnataka, Kharola has served as the Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2012-13. He has led the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), an organization that mobilizes funds from international institutes for urban infrastructure development.
Extensive Experience in Multiple Sectors Including Industrial Development
Pradeep Singh Kharola also held the position of Joint Secretary of the National Administrative Reforms Commission. Throughout his distinguished career, he has recorded achievements in urban governance, public transport and policy formulation. In 2012, he was recognized with the National Award for E-Governance. Furthermore, in 2013, he received the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration. He is known for his contributions in various fields including industrial development, tourism management, public transportation systems, governance reforms, and tax administration and has been instrumental in transforming public transportation companies from losses into profitable entities. His research papers have been published in numerous international and national journals.
A native of Uttarakhand, Pradeep Singh Kharola graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Indore University in 1982. Following this, he completed his post-graduation in Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1984, where he was a top scorer. He holds a master’s degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Philippines. Kharola is an expert in turning public transportation companies from financially struggling to profitable ones, evidenced by his successful turnaround of Bangalore's city bus service, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, into a profitable entity in 2000. He has also played a crucial role in the launch of the metro services in Bangalore.
The Essence Behind the Formation of NTA
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) announced the establishment of a single, independent, autonomous body to conduct the entrance exams for higher education institutes in 2017. On March 1, 2018, NTA was formally established to conduct national level eligibility examinations (NEET, JEE Main, UGC NET, etc.) for admissions into undergraduate and postgraduate programs at various universities and institutions, ensuring that the examination process remained transparent, efficient, and fair.
NTA Under Scrutiny
The NTA has successfully organized key entrance examinations like JEE Main, NEET, UGC NET, JNUEE, and CMAT. The agency has made several initiatives to improve the processes for online application, examination conduction, and result declaration. However, accusations of irregularities in examinations have repeatedly cast doubt on NTA's operations. Every year since 2019, minor to major inconsistencies have been observed in NEET, JEE Mains, and CUET exams. This year, a plethora of issues emerged in the NEET UG exams, from an unprecedented number of students scoring 720 out of 720 points, to grading anomalies and allegations of a paper leak in Patna-Nalanda and Godhra, raising serious questions about NTA's conduct.
