IT News
New Delhi, July 22:
A tense exchange unfolded in Parliament on Monday as Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding alleged leaks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024.
Gandhi criticized the examination system, stating, “It is obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem in our examination system, not just in NEET but in all the major examinations. The minister has blamed everyone except himself and seems not to grasp the fundamentals of the issue.”
He voiced concerns about the integrity of the Indian examination system, alleging that many students perceive it as corrupt. “Millions of people believe that if you are wealthy, you can manipulate the Indian examination system. This sentiment is shared by the opposition,” Gandhi remarked, calling for a dedicated one-day discussion on the topic.
FM Sitharaman to present Economic Survey 2023-24
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday with the key highlight being the tabling of the Union Budget on July 23.
The session will have 19 sittings scheduled in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha till August 12.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey 2023-24 in Parliament on the first day.
During the session, the Centre will present six bills, including the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 which is aimed at facilitating a legal way of replacing the British-era Aircraft Act of 1934 to ensure provisions for ease of doing business in India’s civil aviation sector.
The Disaster Management (Amendment) Law Bill and the Boilers Bill, the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill. The Budget of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will also be presented during the session.
Ahead of the session, the Centre convened an all-party meeting on Sunday and urged the opposition to cooperate and ensure smooth conduct of proceedings in the Parliament’s Budget session, noting the disruptions in both Houses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the previous session was not up to parliamentary traditions.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, after the conclusion of the all-party meeting, said that smooth conduct of the Parliament is the responsibility of both the government and the opposition.
He assured that the government was “open to discussing all issues”. The Union Minister said: “Discussions will be held in the House according to the decisions taken in the BAC meetings of both Houses, in consultation with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”As was indicated in the all-party meeting, the opposition is set to corner the Centre on various issues including the NEET paper leak case, the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments’ orders to eateries/shops, alleged misuse of probe agencies, the appointment of Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.
In response, Pradhan refuted Gandhi’s claims, asserting that there had been no evidence of paper leaks under his tenure. “No evidence of paper leaks has been found in the last seven years. The NEET matter is currently before the Supreme Court. I can assure you that more than 240 exams have been conducted successfully since the establishment of the NTA,” he stated.
Gandhi pressed further, questioning, “Given that this issue appears to be systematic, what specific actions are being taken to address it?”
