Bengaluru, July 24 (IANS) Karnataka Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka on Friday welcomed the Centre’s move to introduce stringent measures against examination paper leaks, stating that there would be “no forgiveness” for those who play with the future of students.
In a statement, Ashoka said the Union government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to safeguarding the future of honest and hardworking students across the country.
He said a draft proposal aimed at ensuring strict punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks and providing speedy justice through the establishment of fast-track courts will be discussed at the Union Cabinet meeting on Friday. The Centre is expected to introduce a Bill in Parliament shortly after the Cabinet’s approval.
“Paper leak menace will be permanently curbed. There is no pardon for those who toy with the future of students,” Ashoka said.
He added that the proposed legislation seeks to impose stringent penalties on offenders and create a dedicated mechanism for the swift disposal of cases related to examination malpractices.
Ashoka further said that the Narendra Modi-led government is working with determination to protect the interests and aspirations of students and to uphold the integrity of the country’s examination system. He also shared a video by PM Modi on his social media account.
The LoP further accused the Congress government in Karnataka of burdening people with repeated price hikes and warned of statewide protests over the increase in the prices of Nandini ghee and butter.
Ashoka alleged that the Congress government has made price hikes a recurring feature since coming to power and said the latest increase in the prices of dairy products would further strain poor and middle-class families.
Addressing Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ashoka claimed that the government had increased milk prices three times in the last 20 months, resulting in a cumulative hike of Rs 9 per litre.
He listed the revisions as follows: August 2023: Rs 3 per litre increase, June 2024: Rs 2 per litre increase and March 2025: Rs 4 per litre increase. “Even before people could recover from rising prices, taxes and service charges, the government has once again imposed an additional burden by increasing the prices of Nandini ghee and butter,” Ashoka said.
According to him, the price of Nandini ghee has been increased by Rs 15 per litre, from Rs 700 to Rs 715, while the price of butter has been raised by Rs 50 per kilogram, from Rs 610 to Rs 660.
Questioning the rationale behind the latest revision, Ashoka said the government had previously justified milk price hikes in the name of farmers’ welfare and asked whether the additional revenue from the increase in ghee and butter prices would actually reach dairy farmers or be used to offset what he described as the government’s administrative failures.
“If the government has even a little concern for the poor and middle class, it should immediately withdraw this anti-people price hike order,” he said.
The Leader of Opposition further alleged that neither farmers nor consumers were benefiting from the government’s policies and warned that the BJP would launch an intensified agitation against the Congress government over the issue.
–IANS
mka/dpb
