India Appoints Two Directors, Joint Director to NTA Amid Overhaul

The Indian government has appointed two directors and a joint director to the National Testing Agency, continuing a major overhaul of the examination body following recent controversies. The appointments, announced on August 28, 2026, come as the agency faces sustained scrutiny over irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and other examinations.

According to official orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on August 27, Indian Administrative Service officer Prasanna Venkatesh V and Indian Police Service officer Ravi Kumar Singh have been appointed as directors in the NTA. Amit Samdariya, an officer from the Indian Revenue Service, has been named joint director. The orders stipulate that the officers must assume their new positions within three weeks, with failure to join potentially leading to debarment from the Central Staffing Scheme.

Prasanna Venkatesh V is a 2012-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre. He previously served as Secretary of the Social Welfare Department in Guntur. Ravi Kumar Singh, also from the 2012 batch, is an IPS officer who most recently served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing of...