The K. Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted following the controversies surrounding alleged malpractice in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduates in 2024, identified local transport, storage, and human handling as some of the weakest links in the conduct of the examination. The committee that was formed in June 2024 submitted its report in October the same year.
In its report, the committee advised that the exam should be conducted in phases and a computer/hybrid mode should be brought in instead of relying entirely on a pen-and-paper exam. The committee also sought an overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) while also reducing paper leak risks, minimising logistical vulnerabilities, improving encrypted delivery and enabling better audit trails. It said that the NTA should bring in permanent professional staff, reduce dependence on outsourced manpower and have stronger accountability mechanisms.
Now, two years later, the Centre is yet to fully implement the recommendations. NEET-UG is India’s largest entrance examination conducted in a single day, in a single shift and attended by nearly 25 lakh candidates.
The report also stressed on efforts to prevent impersonation by fake candidates, to crack down on organised cheating networks, and to blacklist unreliable centres. Digital surveillance, CCTV use, and command-and-control monitoring could strengthen these efforts, it said.
As part of the report-making process, the committee had sought feedback from stakeholders, especially students and parents. More than 37,000 responses were collected, a bulk of them from Class 12 students.
The committee explained that while doing away with third-party involvement in the exam process is recommended, a district-wise assessment of infrastructure — especially in rural areas — is equally important.
It said that a computer-based test could reduce paper leak risk and enable better audit trails.
Testing centres
“The NTA may target developing at least 1,000 secure Standard Testing Centres in the country, in a phased manner, in reputed government institutions. This process may require a ‘war-footing’ approach,” the committee said, adding that it envisaged a future where the NTA could offer a nimble, zero-error, adaptive, and integrative process.
The committee also said that India could emerge as a global leader in educational testing. “Any test-conducting agency that learns to operate nationwide testing in India successfully gets to train a robust model that can work at scale in varied conditions and contexts elsewhere in the world,” the committee said. It added that the recommendations, once accepted by the government, should be implemented in mission mode.