Cabinet meeting on Friday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that a bill with provisions for strict action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.
In a video message, Modi also said that the outline of the bill will be discussed in the Union Cabinet meeting to be held on Friday, where the proposed law will be finalised.
The cabinet will discuss the issue of paper leak on Friday and further action will be finalized after taking suggestions from cabinet colleagues.
“On Monday, when the second week of the monsoon session of Parliament begins, a bill with provisions for strict action against paper leaks will be brought and we will try to pass it as soon as possible,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he knows that paper leaks are not a small issue and such incidents are extremely painful for lakhs of students and their parents.
Therefore, several strict steps have been taken since the allegations of NEET paper leak surfaced about two and a half months ago, he said.
He said, “The culprits have been caught. They are now in jail. Our most important responsibility was to ensure that a year of students is not wasted. It was necessary to conduct the exams immediately. By using all resources, the government has ensured that 22 lakh students can appear for the exams again.”
Modi said the results of the medical-entrance re-test were declared on July 19 and there were happy reports from those who passed from across India.
The Prime Minister said that he is not one of those people who will be satisfied with this.
“Therefore I have directed the concerned authorities to set up fast-track courts. Fast-track courts have already been set up,” he said.
CJP delegation to meet government ministers on Friday
Meanwhile, according to sources, a delegation of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is also going to meet government ministers on Friday.
The meeting will be held at 12.30 pm, but its location has not been disclosed.
Sources said this came after intensive talks took place behind the scenes to end the impasse over the NEET paper leak.
CJP is staging a protest at Jantar Mantar here demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak and reforms in the education system.
17 senior bureaucrats promoted, transferred
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday issued orders on transfers and promotions of 17 senior bureaucrats.
In a major reshuffle in the top bureaucracy, the Center has appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Naresh Pal Gangwar and TK Anil Kumar as secretaries in the Department of Higher Education and Department of School Education and Literacy respectively in the Education Ministry, a government order said.
Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer, succeeds 1992-batch officer Vineet Joshi, who has now been appointed secretary in the Panchayati Raj ministry. Joshi will take charge after the retirement of outgoing Vivek Bhardwaj on July 31.
According to the order, Gangwar will also take up his post after Joshi leaves his present office.
Sushil Kumar Lohani, 1996 batch IAS officer, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
The order states that the officers will take charge after Gangwar assumes his new post.
Kumar, a 1995 batch officer who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, has been promoted as Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Education Ministry.
Katikithala Srinivas, Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been transferred as Secretary in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
The order said Mines Secretary Piyush Goyal has been posted as Secretary General in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Keshav Chandra, a 1996 batch IAS officer serving in his parent AGMUT cadre, will take over as the new Mines Secretary, it said.
Archana Verma, a 1996 batch IAS officer who is currently Mission Director in the National Water Mission in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been promoted as Secretary in the department, with the post temporarily upgraded to Secretary level, the order said.
She will later take over as Secretary in the Department of Official Language in the Home Ministry when the incumbent Ansuli Arya retires on September 30.
“D Thara, IAS (GJ:96), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Capital Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, holding a vacant Secretary level post,” the order said.
1996-batch IAS officer B Rajendra has been temporarily upgraded to the level of Secretary and appointed as Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Department of Personnel and Training in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
He will take over after the retirement of incumbent Shriram Tarnikanti on July 31.
IAS officer Chandra Bhushan Kumar, who serves in his parent AGMUT cadre, has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Employment to replace Vandana Gurnani, who retires on July 31.
“Satendra Singh, IAS (JH:96), as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as Secretary,” the order said.
Suchindra Mishra, a 1992-batch IDAS officer serving as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has been appointed as Secretary in the National Commission for Minorities in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The ACC has also approved the upgradation of four officials – Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman Santosh Kumar Yada, Advisor, NITI Aayog, Rajeev Singh Thakur and Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dilip Kumar – to the level of a Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading their personal designations. By them, the order states.
