The Parliamentary Committee on National Testing Agency (NTA) Reforms has recommended that candidates arriving late at examination centres be allowed to take entrance tests, offering relief to aspirants seeking admission to professional courses.The committee, among other measures including parliamentary accountability of the NTA, computer-based tests and examinations at government-operated centres, has suggested that latecomers to entrance test centres should not be prevented from taking the exam.“Candidates arriving a few minutes late at the examination centres are mostly denied entry altogether, resulting in a waste of their year-long hard work over a minor delay. The Committee observes that there are some genuine reasons due to which a candidate may arrive late at the examination centre,” the panel said.It recommended evolving a mechanism to allow such candidates to enter the examination hall after signing an undertaking recording their late arrival. They should be allowed to take the test only for the remaining duration, with no additional time granted under any circumstances, it said.The panel also called for amendments to the anti-paper leak law to give district magistrates powers to ban processions and public rallies on the days of entrance tests.“The Committee notes that public rallies, processions, or large gatherings on the day of examination can delay candidates and cause them to miss their reporting time. The Committee recommends that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 be amended to direct District Administration to withhold permission for any rally, procession, or any other public gathering on examination days, and to ensure that smooth traffic and law-and-order arrangements are in  place well in advance, so that no candidate is affected by an avoidable, external disturbance,” stated the panel in its report submitted to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan today.