Vinod Bhat
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha today passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, as passed by the Lok Sabha, by voice vote. Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the amendments would further strengthen the legal framework for preventing unfair means in public examinations while safeguarding the interests of students and youth.
The Minister said the Government is committed to ensuring that public examinations remain transparent, credible and merit-based so that the sincere efforts of students are protected. Emphasising that the legislation is not confined to question paper leaks alone, he said the Bill seeks to prevent the entire spectrum of unfair means in public examinations. He said the law comprehensively addresses offences ranging from leakage of question papers and answer keys, tampering with answer sheets and computer systems, manipulation of examination processes, creation of fake websites and admit cards, to organised attempts to facilitate unfair means in examinations. These provisions, he said, reflect the comprehensive nature of the legislation in addressing diverse forms of examination-related malpractice.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Government had brought the Amendment Bill with humility and an open mind, welcoming constructive suggestions from Members to further strengthen the legislation. He said the issue of unfair means in public examinations concerns every parent, every family and every citizen of the country, as it directly impacts the aspirations of students and the nation’s future human resource.
Highlighting the Government’s efforts to strengthen the education ecosystem, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the National Education Policy 2020 has brought transformational reforms by providing greater academic flexibility and expanding opportunities for students. He informed the House that the number of universities in the country has increased from 760 to 1,293, while higher education institutions have grown from 51,534 to 64,896.
Referring to reforms in medical education, the Minister said the number of AIIMS has increased from seven to twenty-two, medical colleges from 387 to 844, undergraduate medical seats from 51,300 to 1.39 lakh and postgraduate medical seats from 31,000 to 86,300, making quality medical education more accessible and affordable.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also highlighted the Government’s initiatives for expanding educational opportunities and employment. He said 400 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are now functional across the country. Referring to employment generation, he said Government appointments increased from 7.22 lakh during 2004–2014 to 10.96 lakh during 2014–2024. He also noted that the Government has cleared backlog vacancies and undertaken special promotion drives to improve career progression in public service.
The Minister said the Government has also encouraged entrepreneurship among youth through the Startup India initiative. He informed the House that the number of recognised startups has increased from around 350–400 at the launch of the initiative to nearly 2.4 lakh today, making India the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. He also noted significant growth in innovation, research and intellectual property generation, with India now ranking among the leading countries in PhD output and patent filings.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 covers examinations conducted by major recruitment agencies, including the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) and the National Testing Agency (NTA). Highlighting reforms already introduced in examination systems, he said interviews have been abolished for specified government recruitments, online application systems and candidate-friendly examination processes have been introduced, provisional answer keys have enhanced transparency and cyber security measures have been strengthened. He further informed the House that the average recruitment cycle in the Staff Selection Commission has been reduced from nine months and eight days to eight months and twenty-four days. Referring to the Pratibha Setu initiative, he said the portal has been created to connect meritorious civil services candidates with prospective employers and that 335 private companies have already registered on the platform.
The Minister informed the House that implementation of the recommendations of the high-level expert committee constituted to strengthen the public examination ecosystem is progressing steadily. He said 35 of the committee’s 46 recommendations have already been implemented, including Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, AI-enabled face authentication, multi-layer frisking, CCTV surveillance, signal jammers, State and district coordination committees, grievance redressal mechanisms and restructuring of the National Testing Agency.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said strengthening the integrity of public examinations requires the collective participation of Government, educational institutions, parents, students and society at large. Reiterating that the Government remains open to constructive suggestions from all stakeholders, he said the Government will continue to strengthen the public examination system to ensure that it remains fair, transparent, credible and free from unfair means while safeguarding the aspirations of millions of students and job aspirants.
