New Delhi:

Even as the Supreme Court deferred its hearing on contrasting petitions seeking a retest for NEET-UG and those opposed to it amid the alleged irregularities in the exam, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met students from both sides and heard their concerns. 

Sources said that during the 30-minute meeting, Mr Pradhan assured the students that injustice will not be allowed to happen to them under any circumstances and that the government is taking a series of steps to ensure that such irregularities do not take place in future exams. 

While some students told the minister that it would be unfair to penalise people who have not indulged in cheating of any sort by asking them to sit for a retest, others said the irregularities were widespread enough to necessitate one.

Nearly 24 lakh students had appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 for undergraduate medical courses, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency, on May 5. The results were announced on June 4, 10 days before schedule, but allegations of question paper leaks and grace marks to over 1,500 students triggered protests. Cases were also filed in courts, including the Supreme Court. 

The education minister told the students that since the matter is now being heard by the Supreme Court, the government will take further action based on its decision. He said the Education Ministry has presented its side before the court and it is now up to the judges to decide. 

In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Centre said that a comprehensive analysis of the results had revealed that there was no large-scale malpractice or evidence of a local set of candidates benefiting. 

The Union government also reiterated its stance that it does not intend to hold a retest of the medical entrance exam. Doing so on the basis of “unsubstantiated suspicions”, it said, would burden nearly 24 lakh students. 

The Centre told the court that it intends to start the counselling process for NEET-UG, which is the final stage for admissions, from the third week of July in four phases. If any candidate is found to have benefited from any irregularity, their counselling will be cancelled in any of the phases or even after, it said. 

In its affidavit, the Centre said the data analysis was carried out by experts from IIT Madras. The data revealed that there is an overall increase in the marks obtained by students, specifically in the range of 550 to 720, and this rise has been seen across cities and centres. 

The Centre said the increase can be attributed to a 25% reduction in syllabus.

In a hearing on Monday, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said it was loathe to order a re-test for nearly 24 lakh students – many of whom come from poor families and could ill afford to spend money travelling to exam centres – unless necessary. A re-test is the “last option”, it said.

“One thing is clear… questions were leaked. The sanctity of the exam has been compromised… this is beyond doubt. Now we have to establish the extent of the leak,” the Chief Justice said.

Another hearing was supposed to be held on Thursday, but it has been deferred to July 18.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on June 30 said new railway projects worth ₹1 lakh crore will be implemented in Odisha in the next five years.

Mr. Vaishnaw said this while addressing a felicitation programme organised by Odisha BJP in Bhubaneswar to felicitate the party’s 20 MPs and 78 MLAs elected in recently held Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections in Odisha.

“The Congress government and the then Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government have neglected the development of the railway sector in Odisha. So, with the formation of a double-engine government of the BJP in Odisha and Centre, now, the gap created during the past years, will be met by creating a new record in these five years,” he said.

“Though many mega railway projects have been sanctioned, those were delayed due to delay in land acquisition by the previous BJD government,” said Mr. Vaishnaw, adding, “Now double engine government is formed and the pace of the railway projects will be accelerated.”

The Union Minister said the allocation to Odisha in the Railway Budget has been enhanced from ₹800 crore during the UPA government tenure to more than ₹10,000 crore during Modi government.

“During the past three consecutive years, more than ₹10,000 crore has been allocated to the State in the railway sector,” he said.

Mr. Vaishnaw further said a new railway line of 1,826 km was constructed in Odisha during the last 10 years, which is higher than the total railway network of Sri Lanka (1,700 km). He also said that 315 special trains will run to and from Puri during the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath for smooth travel and convenience of the pilgrims. “Last year, 222 trains were run during the Rath Yatra. The special trains have been planned from 25 districts of Odisha,” he added.

Mr. Vaishnaw, who is also the IT Minister, said that an electronic manufacturing cluster and a semi-conductor training centre will be set up in Odisha.

Congratulating the newly elected MLAs and MPs, he expressed confidence that the BJP government will continue to serve the people of Odisha for the next 50 years. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and two Deputy Chief Ministers K. V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida are like Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra who have been given a big responsibility for the development of the State.

A lot of first-time MLAs and MPs have been elected in this election and the State for the first time has CM and Deputy CMs belonging to the BJP. With this team, a new Odisha will be built which will help in building a ‘Viksit Bharat’, Mr. Pradhan said.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram advised the BJP MLAs and MPs to have a mindset of ‘nation first, party second and self last’.

Mr. Oram said the BJP has helped the BJD to form a government in the State to end the Congress government. “But, they became “arrogant and became worse” like the Congress government. So, people have elected the BJP government,” he said.

New Delhi:

The “top leadership” of the National Testing Agency is under the scanner over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday even as he denied any paper leak in the CSIR-UGC NET, which was postponed a day back.

The minister said he is the custodian of students’ interests and has to take that into account before taking any step. Amid a raging row over irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET, Dharmendra Pradhan had said earlier this week that he cannot jeopardise the careers of the lakhs of candidates who cleared the exam rightfully.

The June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and UGC-NET was postponed on Friday night. The Joint CSIR-UGC-NET is a test conducted to determine eligibility for junior research fellowship and assistant professor and admission to PhD in science courses.

“There was no leak in CSIR-UGC NET, it was postponed because of logistic issues. There is also a retest of 1,563 NEET candidates tomorrow. For smooth conduct of the exam everywhere, the decision was taken,” Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters.

Asked about any inquiry into the NTA’s role, Dharmendra Pradhan said, “I have already said there has been an institutional failure. I have taken responsibility. NTA’s top leadership is under several types of questions. But I have to safeguard students’ interests first. I am a custodian of their interests.” Earlier this week, the ministry sought a report from the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit, which is investigating the allegations of paper leak in NEET.

“The report has not been received yet… But it is certain that nobody involved or responsible for any irregularity will be spared,” he said.

On irregularities in Gujarat’s Godhra, the minister said the issue in Godhra was not of a paper leak but of organised cheating and 30 students have been debarred.

“Gujarat case is not of leak…police took preventive action, a few telephone conversations were intercepted. There were attempts to cheat, 30 students who have been found involved have been debarred. They are in addition to 63 students from across the country who were debarred from NEET for using unfair means,” he said.

The Centre is under fire over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET. While the medical entrance exam question paper was allegedly leaked, a case being investigated by the Bihar Police, UGC-NET was cancelled a day after it was conducted following inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. The matter is being probed by the CBI.

The education ministry on Saturday notified a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.

On Friday night, the Centre operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractice and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Under fire for the irregularities in NEET and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that a high-level committee will be formed and that the interest of the students is the first priority of the government. 

Over 30 lakh candidates appeared for the exams, both of which were conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the minister’s comments came on a day when students held protests in various parts of the country, including outside Mr Pradhan’s home in Delhi. Some were also detained. 

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Mr Pradhan said in Hindi, “I want to assure everyone that the government is committed to ensuring the interests of students. We will not compromise with that or with transparency. As far as the NEET exams are concerned, we are in constant touch with the Bihar government and the Patna Police will send us a detailed report soon. As per preliminary information, errors are limited to certain regions.”

The Bihar reference was to reports of NEET papers being leaked there. 
 

New Delhi:

Amid concerns about the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission into medical colleges, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan admitted “improvements are needed” in the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the nationwide exam for medical college aspirants. 

Speaking to news agency ANI, the minister assured action against NTA officials if they were found guilty of the “irregularities” in NEET 2024 (Undergraduate) exams.

“On the recommendations of the Supreme Court, the order has been given for retest of 1,563 candidates. Some irregularities have come to light in two places. I assure students and parents that the government has taken this seriously,” Dharmendra Pradhan told ANI.

“Even if the big officials of the NTA are found guilty, they will not be spared. A lot of improvement is required in NTA. The government is concerned about this, no culprit will be spared, they will get the harshest punishment,” he said.

Last week, the NTA told the Supreme Court that grace marks given to 1,563 candidates in the NEET-UG exam would be scrapped and the candidates had the option of taking the exam again on June 23. The results of the re-test will be declared before June 30, the top court was told.

If any of these candidates chose to not take the re-test, their earlier score would be reinstated without the extra marks.

Results for the medical entrance examination, which was taken by 24 lakh students on May 5, were declared on June 4. Allegations of an exam paper leak soon surfaced. As many as 67 students got a perfect score of 720/720.

Grace marks were given to several students allegedly to compensate for loss of time at the exam centre.

Many student organizations have protested over the alleged NEET irregularities, including wrong question papers being distributed, Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets being torn, or delays in the distribution of the sheets.

Amid opposition attacks over the exam row, the Education Minister had told NDTV that students and parents should not panic.

“Certain allegations and loose information are coming in. Let us wait for the probe by the authorities concerned. Let’s wait till July 8 for the Supreme Court’s judgment. There’s nothing to hide…” he told NDTV.

Bhubaneswar, Odisha:

The BJP on Sunday announced the names of its candidates for 18 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, while dropping four sitting MPs from the list.

The nominees for Cuttack, Jajpur and Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituencies are yet to be named by the party.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be contesting from the Sambalpur seat.

The party has fielded four women – Aparajita Sarangi (Bhubaneswar), Sangeeta Kumari Deo (Bolangir), Malvika Keshari Deo (Kalahandi) and Anita Subhadarshini (Aska).

The sitting MPs who were denied BJP tickets this time are Suresh Pujari (Bargarh), Union Minister Bisheswar Tudu (Mayrbhanj), Nitish Gang Deb (Sambalpur) and Basant Panda (Kalahandi).

The party has nominated Pradeep Purohit in place of Pujari while Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan replaced Nitish Gang Deb in Sambalpur.

Rairangpur MLA Naba Charan Majhi has replaced Bisheswar Tudu in Mayurbhaj seat. Malvika Keshari Deo is made the new candidate in place of Basant Kumar Panda in Kalahandi LS seat.

The sitting MPs who have been retained are Jual Oram (Sundergarh), Pratap Chandra Sarangi (Balasore), Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo (Bolangir) and Aparajita Sarangi (Bhubaneswar).

The other BJP candidates are Ananta Nayak (Keonjhar), Abhimanyu Sethi (Bhadrak), Rudra Pany (Dhenkanal), Baijayant Panda (Kendrapara), Balabhadra Majhi (Nabarangpur), Bibhu Tarai (Jagatsinghpur ), Sambit Patra (Puri), Pradeep Panigrahy (Berhampur) and Kaliram Majhi (Koraput).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha has hinted at a potential alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On Wednesday, leaders of the BJD convened for an extensive session at Naveen Niwas, the official residence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Simultaneously, counterparts from the BJP, including its state unit chief Manmohan Samal, gathered in the national capital for a parallel meeting, engaging in discussions related to electoral affairs, with a particular focus on the possibility of forging an alliance.

A potential pact between the two parties marks a significant shift in the political dynamics of the state, especially considering the BJD’s departure from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 15 years ago, which had prompted former BJP leader and minister Sushma Swaraj to say that Naveen Patnaik would “regret” snapping ties after an 11-year understanding. 

While no formal announcement has been made, BJD vice president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed the discussions but stopped short of confirming the formation of an alliance. “Biju Janata Dal will prioritise the greater interests of the people of Odisha. Yes, there were discussions on the issue (alliance),” Mr Mishra told reporters after the meeting at Naveen Niwas.

A press release issued by the BJD stated, “An extensive discussion was held under the leadership of BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with the senior leaders of the party today regarding the strategy of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.”

“It was resolved that since by 2036, Odisha will complete 100 years of its statehood, and BJD and Chief Minister Patnaik have major milestones to be achieved by this time, therefore Biju Janata Dal will do everything towards this in the greater interests of people of Odisha,” the statement added.

On the BJP side, senior leader and MP Jual Oram, after the meeting presided over by BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi, confirmed discussions on a pre-poll alliance with the BJD. However, he added that the final decision rests with the party’s central leadership. “Yes, there were discussions on the alliance among other issues. The party’s central leadership will make the final call,” Mr Oram stated.

The Numbers 

The strategic importance of Odisha, with its 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly seats, is not lost on either party. In the 2019 elections, BJD and BJP secured 12 and eight parliamentary constituencies and 112 and 23 assembly constituencies, respectively. According to sources, in the event of an alliance, the BJP would contest the majority of Lok Sabha seats, while the BJD would focus on assembly seats.

The growing speculation about the alliance gained credence from the recent public praises exchanged between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Patnaik. Both leaders acknowledged each other’s contributions, with the BJD demonstrating support for the Modi government’s agenda in Parliament.

What Happened In 2009 

The BJD-BJP alliance saw success in two assembly elections and three Lok Sabha polls in Odisha. The partnership, forged in February 1998, enjoyed a strong foundation, with both parties successfully contesting Lok Sabha elections in 1998, 1999, and 2004, as well as assembly elections in 2000 and 2004.

Once considered the BJP’s most reliable ally in the NDA, the alliance collapsed in 2009 following failed seat-sharing talks. The breakdown was officially attributed to the BJD’s demand for a reduction in the BJP’s share of assembly seats from 63 to around 40, and parliamentary seats from nine to six. This demand, deemed unreasonable by the BJP leaders, led to the withdrawal of support to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s government, marking the end of an 11-year political marriage. 

The withdrawal of support was termed by BJD as an “act of betrayal”.

The BJD-BJP pact was formed in 1998, orchestrated by senior leaders Bijay Mohapatra and the late Pramod Mahajan. 

Bhubaneswar:

The participation of women in the country’s workforce increased to 37 per cent in the 2022-23 fiscal, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Speaking at the ‘Rozgar Mela’ here, he said the figure was 23 per cent in 2017-18.

“There has been balanced growth in society, as there has been a rise in women’s participation in the workforce,” he said, noting that women are more hard-working than men.

The Narendra Modi government’s women-focused schemes have helped in raising the participation of women in the workforce, Pradhan said on Saturday.

The Centre has been giving priority to women in policy-making and leadership roles, he said.

The minister also underscored the importance of re-skilling and up-skilling working women to help them adapt to changing technologies.

The rate of unemployment in the country has come down to 3.7 per cent in 2022-23 from 6 per cent in 2017-18, he said.

At the programme, Mr Pradhan distributed appointment letters of different central organisations to 172 people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)