A parliamentary committee recently raised concerns over recurring exam-related irregularities despite the government's efforts, suggesting that the Ministry of Education submit a time-bound blueprint for executing reforms recommended by a high-level panel. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, tabled its 381st action taken report on the recommendations contained in the 364th report on Demands for Grants (2025-26) about the Department of Higher Education to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday, according to a news agency. The committee has backed the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's acknowledgement on June 16, 2024, that "a lot of improvement is needed in the NTA", advising that NTA accelerate the rollout of the Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendations. The committee further suggested comprehensive discussions between the department and NTA with all stakeholders to adopt a protocol for the "foolproof" administration of nationwide competitive examinations, the report said. "The Committee notes the steps taken by the Ministry, including the constitution of a high-powered steering committee headed by K Radhakrishnan to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the high-level committee of experts (HLCE). "However, despite these measures, the paper irregularities are still happening, leading to cancellation of examinations, thereby causing a lot of anxiety among students," the report said. "The Committee also recommends that the Department of Higher Education publish a time-bound implementation roadmap for the HLCE recommendations at the earliest," it added. The HLCE was set up by the Ministry of Education under the chairmanship of K Radhakrishnan, a former ISRO chairman, to execute critical systemic reforms in national-level competitive exams organised by the NTA. The panel noted that some companies involved in paper setting, administration, and correction have been blacklisted by one organisation or state government. However, this has not affected their deals with other states or companies. "The Committee, therefore, recommends that the department compile a nationwide list of blacklisted firms so as to bring clarity in this regard," the report said. In its response, the Higher Education Department stated that the main activities of NTA, including paper setting and correction, are not offshored. "The NTA maintains records of penalised vendors, including terminations, blacklisting, and contract cessations, and does not engage vendors that have been blacklisted by the NTA. "The procurement process adopted by the NTA incorporates mandatory self-disclosure clauses regarding blacklisting of the bidder by any government agency," it said. Mentioning the finances of the NTA, the committee suggested utilisation of surplus funds to fortify the agency’s capabilities. "The Committee notes that the NTA collected an estimated Rs 3,512.98 crore, while it spent Rs 3,064.77 crore on the conduct of examinations, netting a surplus of Rs 448 crore in the last six years.