Under fire for scrapping NET, education ministry says it took proactive action

News Network
June 20, 2024

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Amid the massive row surrounding the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Education Ministry has said that the test was scrapped because its integrity may have been compromised and has emphasised that it won't hesitate to take action against anyone.

Govind Jaiswal, joint secretary in the Education Ministry, told the media that the exam, for which over 11 lakh students had registered, was cancelled on the basis of inputs received from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. The exam, which was held on Tuesday, was cancelled yesterday.

"The matter has been handed over to the CBI for a thorough investigation. A fresh examination shall be conducted, for which information will be shared soon," he said.

The ministry, he said, will not hesitate in taking action against those involved in wrongdoing. "At this level, when the investigation is underway, we can't disclose more details. NTA has its own mechanism and a lot of other stakeholders are involved. This all is under investigation," he said.

The exam was conducted by the National Testing Agency, which is under fire for alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to medical colleges. A total of 24 lakh aspirants took the exam. Reports of irregularities have now prompted nationwide protests and triggered demands for a re-test.

The government, he said, has taken proactive steps.

The ministry official also responded to questions on why the exam was conducted in OMR (pen and paper) mode this time -- a shift from the earlier practice. "Based on NTA's experience of four years, inputs were received from different stakeholders and this decision was taken."

UGC-NET is a test to determine a candidate's eligibility for the post of assistant professor in universities and colleges, and also for the award of research fellowships. The Education Ministry yesterday ordered that the exam -- held Tuesday -- be scrapped after inputs that its integrity may have been compromised.

The cancellation of the UGC-NET examination amid the ongoing protests against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition parties to target the Narendra Modi government ahead of the Parliament session.

The Congress described the Narendra Modi-led NDA government as "paper leak government". Other members of the INDIA bloc, including Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have also slammed the government over the two exams.

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News Network
June 22,2024

Mangaluru: Eight to nine dacoits committed dacoity on a PWD contractor's house in Ulaibettu on city's outskirts and fled with cash, gold jewellery on Friday evening.

The PWD contractor Padnabham Kotiyan in his complaint to Mangaluru rural police informed that he and his family were residing in the farm in Ullayabettu when the gang of dacoits barged into their house at around 7.45 pm.

Eight to nine dacoits wearing masks on their face threatened the family at knife point and tied up the members of family with bedsheets.

The dacoits searched the entire house for cash and gold before fleeing from the place with the PWD contractor's vehicle. The police who rushed to the spot found the vehicle abandoned at some distance from the house.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal said PWD contractor Padmanabham had suffered a knife injury in the hand.

A case was registered at Mangaluru rural police station. Teams had been formed to ascertain the identity of dacoits and arrest them at the earliest, Mangaluru Commissioner of Police said.

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News Network
June 28,2024

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New Delhi, June 28: At least one person was killed and six others injured after a portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 (T1) collapsed on cars amid heavy rain this morning. All departures from Terminal 1, which has only domestic flight operations, have been temporarily suspended, the civil aviation ministry said.

"Heavy rain in early morning today has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport Terminal 1. As a result of which, flights to and from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for smooth operation of the flights," the ministry said in a post on X.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the airport and inspected Terminal 1. He said that the airport will temporarily shift operations to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. 

Calling it a "very serious" incident, the newly-elected minister announced that a thorough inspection of the structure at the airport would be carried out. The technical reasons and other aspects of the incident would be known after the investigation, he said.

He also announced a compensation of ₹ 20 lakh for the family of the victim and ₹ 3 lakh each for those injured.

T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport has three terminals, T1, T2 and T3, and handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.

The officials said the roof sheet and the support beams collapsed, damaging four cars parked in the pick-up and drop area of the terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. The incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5.30 am.

During the rescue operations, a man was seen being taken out from a car on which an iron beam had fallen.

Indigo, Spicejet Cancel Flights 

IndiGo said that its flight operations were impacted due to structural damage to Terminal 1 at Delhi Airport. In a statement, the low-cost carrier said that the incident has led to flight cancellations in Delhi as "passengers are not able to enter the terminal".

"Passengers already inside the terminal will be able to board their planned flights, but those with flights later in the day will be offered alternatives," an IndiGo spokesperson said.

"This unplanned situation has also led to operations across the network being impacted. Customers are advised to keep track of and confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport," the statement added.

Spicejet also cancelled its flights until further notice.

"Please keep a watch on our Social Media channels for further updates," the airline told its passengers.

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 27,2024

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Mangaluru, June 27: Even as meteorological department has declared a red alert due to heavy rain across Dakshina Kannada, the district administration has announced that the holiday will continue on Friday, June 28, for Anganwadi centers, primary schools, high schools, and pre-university colleges. They were also closed on June 27 due to heavy rains.

As a precautionary measure, the holiday has been declared for primary schools, high schools, and PU colleges only, and not for degree colleges and above.

Since Wednesday morning, the district has been experiencing rainfall, prompting the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner to announce a holiday for Anganwadi centers, primary schools, and high schools as a precautionary measure.

However, in Udupi, the expected rainfall has not occurred despite the red alert today. Therefore, classes for schools and colleges will continue as usual on June 28. No holiday has been announced, clarified Deputy Commissioner Dr. K. Vidyakumari.

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