Who is Pradeep Kharola, The New National Testing Agency Chief Appointed Amid Paper Leaks Row

New Delhi: In the midst of a nationwide row over alleged irregularities in entrance exams like NEET-UG 2024 and UGC-NET, the Central government on Saturday replaced its current Director General Subodh Singh with senior bureaucrat Pradeep Singh Kharola as the new head of the National Testing Agency (NTA). 

Kharola, who serves as the Managing Director and Chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has been given the extra responsibility to head the testing agency until the appointment of a new Director, said officials. 

Before Air India's privatisation, he handled the airline's responsibility in the post of Chairman and Managing Director. He was brought into the airline when the government was mulling on finalising modalities of the strategic disinvestment of the national aviation company.

In the past, Kharola also served as the Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC).

Pradeep Kharola: A 1985 Batch IAS Officer 

Kharola, a 1985 batch IAS officer from Karnataka cadre, has served as the  Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2012-13. He also headed the Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) in Karnataka, which raises funds from international institutions for building infrastructure in cities.

The 62-year-old bureaucrat had also served as a Joint Secretary of the National Administrative Reform Commission.

Kharola has a decade-long experience in managing urban experience, urban public transport, and policy-making. He is widely considered an expert in taking government companies out of losses and making them profitable. 

In 2000, he took out Bangalore's city bus service, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation out of losses and made them profitable in a few years. He received the National Award for e-governance in 2012 and the Prime Minister's Outstanding Public Administration Award in 2013.

Kharola Hails From Uttarakhand

Kharola, who hails from Uttarakhand, completed his mechanical engineering degree from Indore University in 1982 and did post-graduation in Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1984, where he obtained a topper grade. 

In his student life, he also completed a Masters in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Philippines.