PAC directs Education Ministry to get NTA's pending fund utilisation certificates

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, during its examination of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on outstanding utilisation certificates, directed the Ministry of Education on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) to ensure that the National Testing Agency (NTA) submits its pending utilisation certificates for ₹10 crore within 60 days. The amount is part of the ₹25 crore seed funding the NTA received from the government when it was established in 2017. The committee, headed by senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, emphasised that government rules require utilisation certificates to be submitted within 12 months of the close of the financial year for non-recurring grants.