Paper leak matter sparks sharp exchanges in HP Vidhan Sabha
Shimla, Sept 20
During the third day of the monsoon session, a sharp exchange transpired between members of the ruling and opposition benches regarding the paper leak cases at the State Selection Commission in Hamirpur and the prolonged delay in announcing results for numerous posts due to ongoing investigations into the matter.
The issue came to the forefront during the question hour on Wednesday when the Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, pressed the government for answers regarding the concerning delay in results for many post codes conducted by the now-defunct Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission, which was disbanded by the Congress Government.
In response to a barrage of supplementary queries from the opposition leader, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu mentioned that Labor and Employment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil had already provided a detailed response on the matter. Nevertheless, the Chief Minister expressed his willingness to address any additional questions about the paper leak issue at the HPSSC. He emphasized that the government had committed to generating employment opportunities for half a million unemployed individuals and had remained steadfast in its pursuit.
The Chief Minister revealed plans to develop a new system to accurately track the number of unemployed and employed youth, akin to advanced nations, as a means to verify the data available through the labor department. He admitted that the government had been unable to release the results for various codes due to the sale of question papers. He clarified that the SSC was dissolved after it was discovered that question papers had been sold for numerous post codes. A committee was swiftly formed on March 28, 2023, and all examination results were transferred to the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission for subsequent publication.
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He pointed out that while the BJP had allowed corruption to flourish during their five-year tenure, the Congress Government had not halted at the first instance of paper leak. FIRs had been filed against culprits involved in other postcodes where paper leaks occurred. A Deepak Shanan committee gave its report and a new selection board is being constituted. It is our duty to provide employment to the youth; he added that this year government would provide employment avenues to thousand youth. We have already announced the result of post code 329 and result of other codes would be declared after ensuring that post code were not sold.
The Chief Minister further disclosed that a total of 14 post code question papers had been leaked, resulting in 65 individuals being arrested, and 26 accomplices were being pursued. He emphasized the government’s responsibility toward its employees and affirmed their dedication to rectifying the flawed system.
Before this exchange, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur sought to determine how many new jobs had been generated by the government in its ten-month tenure. He expressed concern that nine months had passed since the dissolution of HPSSC Hamirpur without a resolution. He questioned the prolonged delay in announcing results for other post codes and empathized with the 3000 candidates anxiously awaiting their outcomes. He urged the government not to unfairly penalize innocent candidates who were not responsible for the paper leak.
Labor and Employment Minister D.R. Shandil reported that there were eight lakh unemployed individuals registered in the state’s employment exchange. The state’s unemployment rate stood at 4.1%, in line with the national average. The state had organized nine job fairs and 62 placement programs to create employment opportunities. Campus placements and employment fairs were also conducted at the institutional level, with various departments, including Health, Public Works, and state public sectors, actively providing jobs to unemployed youth.
Congress member Kewal Singh Pathania, in a related inquiry, mentioned that paper leaks had occurred during the previous BJP administration. Despite conducting examinations for 20 codes, results had not been announced.
In conclusion, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania noted that this question had consumed 40 minutes of the question hour. He encouraged members to submit separate notices if they wished to raise more questions on the issue. Members of the treasury benches seized the opportunity to blame the BJP’s previous rule for the problem, asserting that the youth had been cheated throughout the five-year tenure.
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