Today, Friday, February 9, the Parliament passed a bill aimed at cracking down on malpractices and irregularities in competitive exams, introducing penalties of up to 10 years in jail and fines of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders, states a PTI report.
The Rajya Sabha passed the bill via a voice vote, rejecting proposed amendments from opposition members. According to PTI, the Lok Sabha had already passed it on February 6.
In response to discussions on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the youth power of the country is "vital" and asserted that the bill is meant to deter those who are playing with their future.
He asserted that merit cannot be allowed to be hijacked by non-merit, states the PTI report.
"We can't allow the vital youth power of this country to be surrendered or sacrificed in the hands of a handful few. Very cautiously, we have kept the bona fide candidate out of the purview of the law, be it a job aspirant or a student. So the message does not go that this new legislation is meant to harass the youth of this country. It is only meant to deter those who are playing with their future, and thereby the future of the nation," Singh, the Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said.
"I am sure the entire House, in one voice, will support this (bill). It is a dynamic journey we have started," Singh said.
As stated in PTI, the bill also proposes a high-level national technical committee on public examinations that will make recommendations to make the computerised examination process more secure.
