NTA sacked only contractual staff, terminated employees allege

Forty-seven employees of the National Testing Agency (NTA) were sacked on July 24 as part of a restructuring exercise, but affected workers have told Times Now Digital that every one of them was a contractual or outsourced employee. They allege that no permanent NTA official lost their job, and that senior officials linked to the NEET UG and UGC NET examination irregularities have not been investigated. The employees say they were denied entry to the NTA office in Delhi's Okhla, had their ID cards taken away, and were not allowed to collect personal belongings.

Meanwhile, Hindustan Times reports that the Union education ministry has directed the NTA to conduct a thorough audit of all examination processes and submit a corrective action report. The direction came from a meeting chaired by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, who also called for an overhaul of confidential operations. The ministry said more than 50 staff have been removed and that ten new professional leadership positions, including a Chief Technology Officer, have been advertised.

The terminated employees have approached the Chief Labour Commissioner, seeking an independent inquiry into the terminations and the role of senior officials. Many of them had worked with the NTA for five to eight years and said the job was their family's sole income source.