After NEET row, NTA floats Rs 7.5-crore tender for 24x7 security of exam papers

According to the July 25 tender, the selected agency will provide security at the NTA headquarters on Delhi's Minto Road, its Okhla regional office and other notified locations, as reported by Hindustan Times. It will be responsible for safeguarding personnel, visitors, confidential examination materials.

Highlighting the broader procurement exercise, NTA also announced on its official social media handles that it has floated separate tenders for housekeeping services, security services and examination-grade printing services through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Agencies failing to secure at least 70 marks in the.

What Happened

The agency awarded the contract will be responsible for controlling access to NTA premises by verifying the identity of staff and visitors, restricting entry to authorised personnel and maintaining detailed visitor logs. Security checks at designated points will include the use of.

• Under this framework, technical proposals will determine 70% of the final score, while commercial bids will contribute the remaining 30%.

• The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, one of the biggest crises faced by the NTA, led to the cancellation of the May 3 examination and a re-test on June 21.

• Welcoming the legislation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as a major reform to curb paper leaks and vowed strict action against those involved in such rackets.

Key Details

The episode also accelerated efforts to strengthen the country's examination system, with Parliament later passing the Anti-Paper Leak Bill.

• The tender further mandates the deployment of technology-driven monitoring systems, including GPS-enabled guard patrol tracking, biometric attendance and digital incident-reporting platforms.

• Its responsibilities will also extend to safeguarding confidential examination materials, server rooms, digital infrastructure and secure storage facilities.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge