The Lok Sabha passed ‘The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024’ with the aim of curbing leaks, malpractices, and organized malpractices in various recruitment examinations and entrance tests.
Scope of the Bill
The bill covers a wide range of examinations including those conducted by UPSC, SSC, Railways, banking recruitment exams, and all computer-based exams by the National Testing Agency.
Need for the Bill
The bill was introduced in response to numerous incidents of malpractices, paper leaks, and impersonation in examinations across the country, jeopardizing the future of youth and hindering merit-based selections.
Objectives of the Bill
The primary objective is to safeguard the merit of youth and ensure the well-being of children by preventing unfair means in examinations. It aims to tackle corruption and unfair practices that undermine the integrity of examinations.
Provisions of the Bill
- The bill proposes stringent punishments, including imprisonment ranging from three to five years for cheating and higher sentences of five to ten years for organized cheating activities, along with hefty fines.
- It targets organized gangs and institutions involved in unfair means for monetary gains, while protecting the candidates from its provisions.
Government Initiatives
- The government under PM Modi’s leadership has taken several youth-centric measures, including ensuring transparency, equal opportunity, and a level playing field in recruitments and higher studies.
- Initiatives like scrapping attestation rules, abolishing interviews in government recruitment, and conducting computer-based and online exams have been undertaken to promote transparency and efficiency.
Future Plans
Efforts are ongoing to conduct exams in regional languages and Scheduled Languages to ensure inclusivity. Technological solutions will be utilized to tackle malpractices, and a surveillance committee will be constituted for this purpose.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- What is the primary objective of ‘The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024’?
a) To increase the number of examination centers
b) To ensure the well-being of children
c) To provide financial aid to students
d) To facilitate cheating in examinations
Answer: b) To ensure the well-being of children - Which examinations are covered under the scope of the bill?
a) Only state-level examinations
b) Only UPSC examinations
c) Various recruitment and entrance examinations
d) None of the above
Answer: c) Various recruitment and entrance examinations - What is the punishment proposed for those involved in organized cheating activities?
a) Minimum of three to five years of imprisonment
b) Minimum of five to ten years of imprisonment
c) A fine of Rs 1 lakh
d) No punishment
Answer: b) Minimum of five to ten years of imprisonment - Which government initiative aimed to promote transparency in recruitment processes?
a) Introducing stricter examination rules
b) Conducting interviews for all government jobs
c) Scrapping the rule of attestation of documents
d) Increasing the number of examination centers
Answer: c) Scrapping the rule of attestation of documents - What is one of the future plans mentioned in the passage?
a) Conducting exams only in English
b) Abolishing all examinations
c) Using technological solutions to tackle malpractices
d) Ignoring regional languages in examinations
Answer: c) Using technological solutions to tackle malpractices