Thousands of students in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh protested against the Indian Railways' Railway Recruitment Board Non-Technical Popular Category (RRB NTPC) exam results, citing irregularities and unfair practices. The protests turned violent in some areas, with students setting fire to trains and clashing with police. The government responded by suspending the exam and setting up a committee to investigate the students' grievances.
The students' main complaints were that the exam results were computed unfairly, with some students being counted multiple times for different levels, and that the cut-offs for 12th pass students and graduates were different. The students also alleged that the government was trying to suppress their voices and that the media was not covering their protests.
The issue is not isolated to the RRB NTPC exam, but is part of a larger problem of irregularities in exams and unemployment in the country. The government has been criticized for its handling of the protests and for not addressing the root causes of the problem.
The video also highlights the plight of students who are struggling to get jobs, with many applying for a limited number of government jobs. The number of government jobs is rapidly falling, and the competition for jobs is intense, with over 300 people competing for one job. The video concludes that the problem of unemployment needs to be acknowledged and addressed by the government.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. On 26th January, a photo of a train on fire went viral on social media.
2. Thousands of students in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh protested against the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) NTPC exam.
3. Some students got violent during the protest, resulting in a train being set on fire and stones being pelted at another train.
4. Photos of protesting students being beaten up by the police also went viral on social media.
5. On the day before the incident, police broke down the doors of some students' apartments and beat them up.
6. The protest was against the RRB NTPC exam, which was conducted in multiple stages.
7. The exam was postponed due to Covid and was finally conducted from 28th December 2020 to 31st July 2021 in 7 phases.
8. The exam had 35,000 vacancies, but 14 million candidates appeared for it.
9. After the exam, 700,000 candidates were shortlisted to appear for the CBT 2 exam, but some students were counted more than once in the list of shortlisted candidates.
10. The government promised that for the 35,000 vacancies, the number of candidates selected for CBT 2 would be 20 times the vacancy.
11. However, due to some students being counted more than once, only around 380,000 students actually qualified for the CBT 2 exam.
12. The second problem according to the students is that the 12th pass students and graduate students had to sit for the same exam, but the cut-offs for both groups were different.
13. The cut-offs for the graduates were lower and more accessible, while the cut-offs for the 12th pass candidates were more difficult.
14. The government responded by saying that they did so for CBT 1 to spend time and funds economically.
15. The CBT 2 exams would be conducted differently for different levels, but the students were not convinced.
16. Before protesting on the roads, the students tried to put across their grievances through Twitter, but the government paid no heed.
17. The media did not cover the issue, and the government was not bothered initially.
18. The NTPC students were not the only ones protesting; students of Railway Group D were also protesting.
19. The notification for Group D Level 1 exam was posted by RRB in March 2019, but the exam was postponed and delayed due to Covid.
20. The government suddenly published a new notification stating that they would now conduct 2 exams instead of one, giving students little time to prepare.
21. The procedure for the normalisation of marks was also changed, which added to the students' grievances.
22. Many students from lower economic backgrounds apply for these jobs and have to pay an application fee of ₹500, which is a significant amount for them.
23. The students were frustrated with the irregularities in the exams, which they felt were not being conducted fairly.
24. The government set up a committee to investigate the complaints raised by the students, headed by Deepak Peter.
25. The committee asked students to submit their grievances and suggestions via email.
26. Some students accused the government of trying to sweep the matter under the rug to avoid problems in the Uttar Pradesh elections.
27. FIRs were filed against some teachers, including Khan Sir, claiming that they were trying to incite the students.
28. Khan Sir is a popular YouTuber and teacher who was accused of trying to incite the students, but he had simply tried to raise the issue and ask the students to be vocal about it.
29. The irregularities in the exams are not limited to a couple of Railway exams, but have become a regular occurrence in many exams.
30. There is a lack of political will of the government to ensure that exams are being conducted properly.
31. The number of government jobs is rapidly falling in the country, with over 300 people competing for one job.
32. The problem of unemployment needs to be acknowledged before looking for a solution.