UGC-NET exam: Opposition accuses NTA, Union govt of destroying future of students
New Delhi (PTI): Opposition leaders on Thursday launched an attack on the National Testing Agency (NTA) after the UGC-NET exam was cancelled and accused the agency as well as the Union government of destroying the future of students who appeared for these exams.
The UGC cancelled the UGC-NET examination on Wednesday, a day after it was held, after receiving certain inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the ministry of home affairs on the examination.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale said the examination process in the country has crashed and the lives of students are being destroyed. He accused the NTA of being complicit.
"The examination process structure of our country has crashed. Paper leaks and irregularities are rampant and the useless NTA is complicit in it," Gokhale said in a post on X.
"After the NEET fiasco, the UGC-NET has now been cancelled - literally 1 day after students wrote the exam. The lives and futures of our students are being destroyed everyday and the NDA 1.0 govt is shameless to even take responsibility," he said.
The TMC MP said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not learnt any lesson from the elections, and demanded that Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw both be sacked.
"Incompetent education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been repeated again despite being an utter failure. The same is with Ashwini Vaishnaw as railway minister & now we saw a train crash just days ago. They need to be sacked," he said.
"Modi clearly hasn’t learnt any lesson from his humiliation in the elections," he added.
Communist Party of India (Marxist), in a post on X, accused the government of making a mockery of the education system.
"First there were discrepancies in CUET, then the NEET Scam, and now UGC-NET was cancelled! The BJP govt has made a complete mockery of the education system," the CPI(M) said in a post on X.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha said the NEET exam should also be cancelled.
"You had to scrap NET and you must scrap NEET now as there is ample proof that this examination was compromised. And it is time to acknowledge that the NTA is a fraud," he said.
UGC-NET is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for the award of junior research fellowship, for appointment as assistant professors and admission to PhD in Indian universities and colleges.
The decision by the ministry comes amid a massive row over alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET, with the issue now before the Supreme Court.
The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
Rajya Sabha CPI(M) MP John Brittas meanwhile raised concern over questions asked in the UGC-NET exam, and alleged that "saffronisation" of education was being done.
"When NEET to NET collapses... see how saffronisation (is) done; NET qstns (questions) for a Theatre student - Ayodhya pranprathishta date, how Hanuman is described, the sloka in Ramayan, beheaded but kept alive in Mahabharata, Hindi exponent… How do we intend to mould our next generation?" he said.
Brittas shared some images purportedly of the UGC-NET question paper which showed a question which asked the consecration date of the Ram temple, and other questions related to Ramayan, Mahabharat and other religious texts.
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Karnataka launches state-led Centre of Excellence for Space Technology in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): In a significant boost to India’s rapidly expanding space economy, the Karnataka government on Friday launched the country’s first state-led Centre of Excellence for Space Technology here, officials said.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities to translate space innovation into scalable commercial outcomes, they said.
The Centre, established by the Government of Karnataka through the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society in collaboration with SIA (Satcom Industry Association India) -India, was inaugurated by Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge, in the presence of senior officials and industry leaders, officials said.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Kharge said that Karnataka has consistently been at the forefront of India's technology and innovation journey. With the launch of this Centre of Excellence for Space Technology, we are extending that leadership into one of the most strategic sectors of the future.
"Our focus is not just on advancing research, but on creating an ecosystem where innovation can translate into real-world applications, economic growth, and high-quality jobs. This Centre will play a critical role in positioning Karnataka as a key driver of India's space economy," he said.
According to an official statement, the CoE SpaceTech Foundation has been established under a Memorandum of Agreement between KITS and SIA-India to drive research and innovation in space technologies, industry-aligned training, startup incubation and cross-sector applications, it said.
The Centre has also formalised strategic MoUs with multiple industry and academic partners to support research in space biotech and microgravity, enable collaboration, build talent pipelines, and provide startups with training and market access, it added.
