New Delhi: Amid raging controversy over irregularities in the conduct of India’s two most of the prestigious competitive exams, UGC-NET and NEET-UG, the education ministry announced on Saturday the formation of a high-level committee of experts to ensure the transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations by the National Testing Agency (NTA), media reported.

The seven-member panel will be led by former ISRO chief Dr. K Radhakrishnan, reported India Today.

Earlier, the NTA cancelled the UGC-NET after discovering that its question paper had been leaked on the darknet. Allegations of irregularities in NEET, the common entrance exam for MBBS course have surfaced, sparking a debate about the examination process.

The main task of the high-level committee is responsible for recommending reforms in the examination process, improving data security protocols, and enhancing the structure and functioning of the NTA.

The committee is expected to submit its report within two months.

According to the India Today report, Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of ISRO and Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Kanpur, has been appointed as the Chairman of the committee.

The other members include Dr. Randeep Guleria, former Director of AIIMS Delhi; Prof. B J Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad; Prof. Ramamurthy K, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras; Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder of People Strong and Board Member of Karmayogi Bharat; Prof. Aditya Mittal, Dean of Student Affairs at IIT Delhi; and Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education, who will serve as the Member Secretary.

The committee will mainly work towards formulating ways to reform the examination process.

This will bring the entire examination process under scrutiny and based on its analysis, the committee will suggest measures for improving the efficiency of the system and averting any potential breaches.

Additionally, the committee will conduct a thorough review of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and protocols of the NTA, recommending measures to strengthen these procedures and ensuring compliance at every level through a robust monitoring mechanism.

The panel will also explore ways to enhance data security protocols by evaluating the existing data security processes of the NTA and suggesting improvements.

This will be done by examining current security measures related to paper-setting and other examination processes to make the system more robust and secure.

Furthermore, the committee will review the organizational structure and functioning of the NTA.