Who is NTA Chief Subodh Kumar Singh, removed amid NEET, NET paper-leak row?

The government replaced National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Kumar Singh on Saturday, just hours after forming a high-level committee led by a former ISRO chief to ensure fair examination practices, following a controversy over alleged irregularities in the NEET and NET competitive exams.
Additionally, the government transferred the investigation of the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam, held on May 5, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).This is the second national-level exam conducted by the NTA to be investigated by the CBI, following the UGC-NET probe two days earlier.
Just before Subodh Kumar Singh’s removal, which left him without a new assignment, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan acknowledged institutional failures. “I have already said there has been an institutional failure. I have taken responsibility. NTA’s leadership is under scrutiny for numerous issues. Accidents happen, and we will investigate the root cause,” he stated.
Pradeep Singh Kharola, the chairperson and managing director of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), who was previously brought in to expedite the Pragati Maidan project, has been given additional charge of the NTA until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Who is the Removed NTA Chief Subodh Kumar Singh?

Subodh Kumar Singh, the head of the National Testing Agency, was removed from his position on Saturday night amid allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams. He has been placed on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training. Retired 1985 batch officer Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed as the interim head until a permanent chief is selected or further orders are issued.
A native of Uttar Pradesh, Subodh Kumar holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and an MBA from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi.
Before assuming his role at the NTA last June, the IAS officer served as the additional secretary in the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. He also spent nine years in the Chhattisgarh Secretariat from 2009 to 2018 under the state’s three-time BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh, working in various capacities including joint secretary, deputy secretary in the personnel and general administration department, special secretary, director for personnel management, and secretary to the Chief Minister.
Despite allegations of corruption against Raman Singh’s government in at least two major cases – a controversy over mining contracts in the early 2010s and the alleged Rs 36,000 crore Public Distribution Scheme scam around 2015 – Subodh Kumar held significant positions. At the Chief Minister’s Office, he served as managing director of the state’s electricity distribution department, later becoming the secretary of the mineral resources and industries and commerce departments, before moving to a central deputation in 2020.
Subodh Kumar received his first national award from the Ministry of Rural Development in 2002 for excellence in implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. In 2019, he was honored with another national award for digital transformation through transparency in mineral auctions.