Centre Must Ensure Stringent Punishment for Question Paper Leaks: Telangana CM
New Delhi, July 28(TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday called for stringent punishment for those involved in question paper leaks and urged the Centre to formulate a national policy to curb examination malpractices.
Speaking to mediapersons after meeting Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister alleged that the unchecked proliferation of unauthorised coaching centres had turned them into hubs for question paper leaks.
He said stronger safeguards were needed to protect the integrity of competitive examinations.
Revanth Reddy alleged that the previous BRS government had failed to act against Globarena despite irregularities, allowing the agency to expand its operations to CBSE examinations and causing hardship to students.
He said organisations involved in such irregularities should face strict action.
The Chief Minister also criticised what he termed the growing interference of the Centre in the administration of state universities, asserting that education should remain largely under the purview of state governments.
He said the issue should be debated in Parliament.
He said the Telangana government had restructured the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to ensure transparency and accountability in recruitment examinations.
The state would take a decision on further measures after examining the proposed Central legislation on paper leaks, he added.
Referring to his meeting with Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Revanth Reddy said discussions focused on the Indiramma Housing Scheme and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) works.
He said the Union Minister had responded positively on housing-related issues and accepted his invitation to visit Telangana.
On fee reimbursement, the Chief Minister alleged that the previous BRS government had left arrears of about ₹8,000 crore.
He said Vigilance and Enforcement authorities were probing institutions that had allegedly submitted inflated reimbursement claims without adequate infrastructure.
Revanth Reddy assured that genuine educational institutions would receive pending dues and announced that, henceforth, fee reimbursement for each academic year would be released within the same year through advance deposits into bank accounts.
He said the state requires ₹2,200 crore to ₹2,400 crore annually for the scheme.
Targeting the BJP, the Chief Minister questioned its criticism of the Telangana government over fee reimbursement while alleging that similar issues in Andhra Pradesh had not drawn attention.
He said his government was committed to clearing genuine dues despite the financial burden inherited from the previous regime.
Defending the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Revanth Reddy described it as one of his government’s major reforms and said it would continue its drive against encroachments on lakes, ponds, storm-water drains, parks and government lands.
He accused encroachers of attempting to mislead the courts and running social media campaigns to discredit the government’s anti-encroachment drive. While affirming the government’s respect for the judiciary and court orders, the Chief Minister said HYDRAA’s operations would continue.
TNT KM
