Amid the ongoing controversy over the NEET and UGC NET paper leak issue, the central government has prepared for major changes in the National Testing Agency (NTA), the organization that conducts the exam. A government-appointed committee has sought suggestions from students and parents for amendments and/or restructuring of the NTA. Recently the government constituted this high level committee to bring transparency in the examinations conducted by NTA. The objective of this committee is to make suggestions for transparent and malpractice-free conduct of examinations conducted by NTA.
It may be noted that the NTA is under the scanner for its transparency and functioning due to the UGC NET and NEET paper leak controversy. There is a demand to dissolve NTA. Former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. The Radhakrishnan-led committee will accept public suggestions and feedback through the website innovateindia.mygov.in/examination-reforms-nta. Anyone can give their response till July 7.
Lok Sabha adjourned for the day as the opposition created a ruckus demanding a debate on the NEET issue
On Friday, opposition members created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha demanding a debate on the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam ‘NEET-UG’, leading to adjournment of the House for a day. Leader of Opposition in the House Rahul Gandhi said that the NEET issue should be discussed in the House before debating the motion of thanks on the President’s address, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the motion of thanks should be brought after the President’s address. First there is discussion and there is no tradition of discussing a different topic.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that it had already been decided that no notice of adjournment motion would be taken during the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address. Appealing to opposition members to let the House work, he said they can raise NEET and all other topics during the debate on the address. Trinamool Congress MP Noorul Islam took the oath of office when the House resumed proceedings at 12 noon after a one-time adjournment. He could not take oath earlier due to ill health. Following this, opposition members started a ruckus demanding a debate on the issue of alleged irregularities in the ‘National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test-Graduate’ (NEET-UG).
“During the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, you can speak on this subject, the government will reply,” Birla told the opposition members, adding, “Don’t you want to discuss the President’s address?” It is the responsibility of all of us to run the House… Not allowing the House to run in an organized manner is not conducive to parliamentary democracy. The public did not send you to the House to raise slogans… I have said earlier that there should be a difference between protest in the House and protest on the streets.
“Till now, in the history of Parliament, there is no tradition of debating any issue other than the motion of thanks brought after the President’s address,” Rijiju said. For the first time, members of the Congress and its allies are demanding a discussion on some other topic and have come close to the chair, we condemn it.
“Whatever issue comes up during the debate, the government will respond to it, but the House should be allowed to work,” he said. ,
When the uproar did not stop, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha adjourned the proceedings of the House at around 12:07 am on July 1 at 11 am.
Earlier, when the proceedings of the House began at 11 am, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla informed about the demise of 13 former members and the House observed a moment of silence and paid tribute to the deceased members.
After this, members of other opposition forces, including the Congress, started demanding a debate on the issue of NEET in the House. Birla asked the members to present all their points in detail during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi meanwhile said, “We want to send a joint message to the students of India on behalf of the government and the opposition that we consider their issue important and so to show respect to the students, we will focus on it. The issue of NEET specifically .” I want to discuss.”
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha did not allow this and the opposition members continued to create ruckus. Meanwhile, DMK member Kanimozhi was standing with Rahul Gandhi in the front row of the opposition party. In the back row, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (Shard Chand Pawar) Supriya Sule, DMK MP A. Raja, RSP’s NK Premachandran and Congress’s KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi and Dipendra Hooda also stood.
Birla told the agitating opposition members that they can discuss all the issues during the debate on the motion of thanks and the government is expected to respond to all the issues raised by the opposition.
He said, “You discuss in detail.” You have enough time. I will give you full time. You present your point in detail. Put all the points forward…I don’t mind.
Seeing the ruckus abating, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.