The National Testing Agency (NTA), which has conducted more than 270 competitive examinations and handled over 6.6 crore candidate registrations since its inception in 2018, is operating with just 24 permanent officials while relying on 197 contractual and outsourced personnel, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.In a written reply, the Ministry of Education said the agency has 39 sanctioned permanent posts to be filled through deputation. However, the post-wise staffing details provided by the ministry indicate that only 24 of these positions are currently occupied.Also Read: NTA probe finds NEET OMR sheets 'completely AI-generated', tampered; legal action likelyThe permanent workforce comprises the Director General, two Joint Secretaries, eight Directors across two pay levels, six Joint Directors and Research Scientists, three Deputy Directors, two Assistant Directors and two Senior Superintendents.To support its operations, the NTA has hired 73 contractual personnel, including 44 consultants, 17 young professionals, five senior consultants, three advisers and one senior software developer.The agency also depends on 124 outsourced staff, including data analysts, consultants, legal associates and housekeeping personnel, taking the total number of contractual and outsourced employees to 197.Also Read: NEET protest expands: Students and job aspirants unite at Jantar Mantar over exam delaysThe ministry added that the government has created 16 additional senior-level posts for the agency, comprising eight Director-level and eight Joint Director-level positions, to strengthen its functioning.Since it was established in 2018, the NTA has emerged as the country's premier testing agency, conducting more than 270 entrance and recruitment examinations, including high-stakes tests such as NEET-UG, JEE and UGC-NET, while processing over 6.6 crore candidate registrations.