Parliament Monsoon Session: Economic Survey Tabled, Oppn Rakes Up NEET Issue In LS

The Parliament Monsoon Session began on Monday, July 22, with a customary address by the Prime Minister, Opposition's attack on the government over NEET paper leak row and the tabling of the Economic Survey 2023-2024 which revealed that India's GDP is likely to grow at 6.5 to 7 per cent in the current fiscal year and may impact exports.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Monday criticised the government especially the Education Ministry over allegations of paper leaks in major exams including NEET-UG 2024, he called the Indian education system 'fraud'.

Meanwhile, Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his response said there was no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years.

LoP Rahul Gandhi And Edu Minister Dharmendra Pradhan On Paper Leak Issue

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said there was a very serious problem in the examination system, not just with NEET but all major examinations.

Gandhi said "The issue is that there are millions of students in the country who are extremely concerned about what is going on and who are convinced that the Indian examination system is a fraud. Millions of people believe that if you are rich and you have money, you can buy the Indian examination system and this is the same feeling that the opposition has..."

Aiming at Pradhan, Gandhi said, "The minister has shifted the blame onto others and seems to lack a fundamental understanding of the issue."

"This is a systemic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix it at the systemic level?" he asked Pradhan, who was responding to queries during the Question Hour.

A 'visibly peeved' Pradhan said it was unfortunate that the member described the examination system as rubbish.

Pradhan also claimed, "In the past seven years, no evidence of paper leaks has been found. The NEET issue is currently before the Supreme Court. I can confidently say that over 240 exams have been successfully conducted by the NTA since then."

As the opposition sought to corner the government over the issue of paper leaks, Speaker Om Birla also weighed in saying it was not right to raise questions about all exams and that members should discuss about developing a better examination system.

"We should look at developing a better system... it is not right to raise questions about all examinations," he said.

After the Speaker concluded his remarks, Gandhi wanted to speak but was disallowed.

Economic Survey 2023-2024 | Top Points

• The growth projected for 2024-25 is lower than the economic growth rate of 8.2 per cent estimated for the previous financial year.

• The Reserve Bank has projected the GDP growth for the fiscal year ending March 2025 at 7.2 per cent. Global agencies like IMF and ADB see India to grow at 7 per cent.

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament tabled the document which stated, "...the Survey conservatively projects a real GDP growth of 6.5–7 per cent, with risks evenly balanced, cognizant of the fact that the market expectations are on the higher side," said the document tabled by.

• Regarding impact of Artificial Intelligence on job sector, the survey revealed, "AI casts huge pall of uncertainty with regard to impact on workers across all skill levels."

• The Survey said as India looks to deepen its involvement in global value chains (GVCs), it needs to look at the successes and strategies of East Asian economies.

• It added that India faces two choices to benefit from 'China plus one' strategy and that is either to integrate into China's supply chain or promote FDI from China.

• "Among these choices, focusing on FDI from China seems more promising for boosting India's exports to the US, similar to how East Asian economies did in the past," was stated in the Survey.

• The production linked incentive scheme (PLI) for automobile and auto components has so far attracted a proposed investment of Rs 67,690 crore, said the Economic Survey.

• The Survey stated that capital markets are becoming more prominent in India's growth story, with an expanding share in capital formation and investment landscape on the back of technology, innovation and digitisation.

• It was reportedly stated in the survey that, "The exemplary performance of the Indian stock market compared to the world and emerging markets over the years can be primarily attributed to India’s resilience to global geo-political and economic shocks, its solid and stable domestic macroeconomic outlook, and the strength of the domestic investor base."

(With PTI inputs)