Inside NEET-UG 2026’s Command Centre: How 1.38 Lakh Cameras and AI Monitored the Exam
NEW DELHI: Hours before candidates entered their exam halls for the NEET-UG 2026 retest on Sunday, feeds from over 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras had already begun streaming into the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) headquarters in Okhla. Around 250 observers, assisted by artificial intelligence tools, monitored exam rooms, tracked biometric verification, and responded to alerts from a network spanning 551 Indian cities and 14 overseas locations.
This was the nerve centre of an examination involving approximately 22.7 lakh candidates, 5,440 centres, and more than 95,000 exam rooms. The monitoring system extended through the education ministry, 34 centrally funded institutions, state-level control rooms, and district collectorates.
No group of observers could continuously watch every frame from the cameras. Therefore, the system combined human surveillance with AI tools that scanned feeds and flagged unusual movement or possible violations. Virtual observers could switch to a centre, examine its live feed, and pass an alert down the chain for verification and action. This multi-tier structure was designed to ensure that the Okhla headquarters was not the only point of response.
Ahead of the exam, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the agency was working with all stakeholders concerned, including district coordination committees headed by district magistrates, state police, and intelligence agencies, to ensure smooth conduct.
The cameras were only one part of the information reaching the headquarters. Centre-level officials reported whether gates had opened on time, candidates had cleared frisking and biometric checks, jammers were functioning, and the examination had begun as scheduled. Updates moved through dashboards, telephone lines, and designated officials.
A centre systems officer was stationed at each venue to keep its cameras and technical systems working. Around 6,700 physical observers were deployed, while biometric personnel, invigilators, police, and district officials formed the on-ground response network. An alert noticed remotely could be checked by the observer or systems officer at the centre and escalated to district or state authorities.
NTA described the exercise as a whole-of-government effort involving approximately seven lakh officials, including police, observers, and examination staff. The agency characterised the network of central ministries, state governments, security forces, banks, and technical agencies as 'Team Bharat'.
The scale was closer to an election operation than a conventional entrance examination. NTA deployed 51,311 signal jammers, 38,795 frisking personnel, and 48,448 workers for biometric verification and face authentication. Two invigilators were assigned to each room. On average, 40 to 50 security personnel were positioned at every centre.
The command network underwent a nationwide mock drill on June 20. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who visited the headquarters while the test was underway, said the government was taking all necessary measures while maintaining complete confidentiality from the preparation of the question papers through every subsequent stage.
By 5:15 pm, the exam was over. 'So far, from what we have heard, everything went well. We have received good reports,' Singh said. He added that NTA had received no complaint or email alleging a paper leak. Inside Okhla, thousands of centres had been compressed into one flow of feeds, dashboards, calls, and alerts — a room expected to spot when something, somewhere, moved out of line.
