Govt ready for 10-hour talk on Public Examinations Bill: Kiren Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government is ready to extend the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, to up to 10 hours if required, after an agreement with opposition parties.

Govt Ready to Extend Debate on Anti-Cheating Bill

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the government was ready to extend the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, to up to 10 hours if required.

Rijiju said he had spoken to the leaders of various parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and NCP, and they had agreed to extend the scheduled six-hour discussion by two hours. "I spoke with the leaders of all parties, the Congress Chief Whip, the Samajwadi Party Chief Whip, the DMK, and the NCP, and everyone agreed to extend the six-hour discussion by two hours to make it eight hours. We all reached this agreement," Rijiju said in the House.

He added that the government had no objection to extending the discussion further if more time was needed. "Venugopal ji, if you require an extra two hours, the government has no objection. We can meet and decide on it. The Speaker has just said that we have no objection to extending it by another hour. If even more time is needed beyond eight hours, we are ready for 10 hours discussion," Rijiju said.

'Milestone Legislation' to Protect Youth

Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh began the debate on Public Examinations Amendment Bill, stating that the amendments are to the 2024 Bill, which was the first of its kind in independent India to safeguard students' future was introduced by the current government itself. He termed the the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, is a "milestone legislation" and reaffirms the government's commitment to protecting the future and welfare of the country's youth.

Participating in the discussion on the Bill in Parliament, Singh said the amendment seeks to strengthen the examination system, enhance its credibility and transparency, and ensure that students are rewarded for their genuine and sincere efforts.

He said incidents of paper leaks and other malpractices in examinations have occurred in different states and under different governments, highlighting the need for a comprehensive law to deal with such cases.

"The earlier Act and this amendment are a reaffirmation of this government's commitment to safeguard the welfare of the youth of the country. The Prime Minister is resolved not to allow anyone to compromise with the future of Mother India," Singh said.

The Union Minister said the government had realised the need for an exclusive legislation to address unfair practices in public examinations. He said the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, was introduced in January and notified in June 2024, with the objective of bringing greater credibility and transparency to the examination process.

"The basic objectives were to give more credibility and transparency and to reassure students that they would be rewarded for their genuine and sincere efforts and that their future was safe," he said.

Singh said the government had learnt from the implementation of the 2024 Act and brought the amendment to ensure speedy justice and further strengthen the examination system. He said the Bill provides for stringent punishment and makes offences cognizable and non-bailable.

Singh also referred to earlier efforts to establish a common testing system and said the National Testing Agency (NTA) was constituted in 2017. "History tells us that in 1992, for the first time, a recommendation was made for common testing. During the UPA rule in 2010, a committee was constituted. You must complement Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this government that we have completed an unfinished task," he said. (ANI)

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