Chandigarh, Jul 26 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday claimed that there has not been a single case of paper leak of a competitive examination during the past four-and-a-half years of the AAP
rule in the state.
His remark came in the wake of the opposition parties targeting the Punjab government and alleging “many paper leaks” in the state.
Mann was addressing a state-level function in Zirakpur to honour the 882 students of government schools who passed the NEET-UG re-exam recently.
Only a single cheating case came to light, but the Punjab Police dismantled a highly sophisticated, inter-state cheating racket operating during the recently held pharmacy officer examination, he said.
In this instance, the use of pen cameras and real-time dictation during the exam by a candidate was detected in Ferozepur. “Within minutes, those cheating and the gang behind them were caught and jailed,” Mann said.
With opposition mounting attacks on Mann government over alleged paper leaks in the state, the chief minister said, “We have been in power for the past four-and-a-half years. Not a single paper leak has happened in Punjab.” Mann further said his government has given 68,585 government jobs purely on the basis of merit.
On the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister on Saturday over the NEET paper leak issue, Mann said that gen-Z has made a “stubborn government” bow.
In the country, 22 students committed suicide after the NEET paper leak, Mann claimed and asked, “Can any amount of monetary compensation to the families bring back those children?” Lauding gen-Z’s ideas and talent, he said they only need proper direction.
“Gen-Z possess sharp insights and energy, and we only need to ensure this potential is channelled constructively,” he said.
Mann said it is a matter of pride that Aryan Gupta, NEET-UG re-exam topper this year, is a student from Punjab’s Ludhiana.
Congress and SAD on Saturday termed Pradhan’s resignation as a victory for youth, but at the same time, they had taken potshots at the Punjab government over alleged paper leaks in the state.
State Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “While the Union minister has been forced to resign, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains was still in office, and he must also go for the repeated paper leaks in Punjab.” PTI SUN PRK
