CM Stalin Appeals to Centre for Rescheduling UGC-NET Exam During Pongal Celebrations
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Chennai, Jan 7 (NationPress) Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has called on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to take prompt action and rearrange the dates for the UGC-NET examination, scheduled from January 3 to January 16, due to its clash with the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu and similar harvest celebrations across various states.
This marks the first instance where the National Testing Agency (NTA) has planned this national-level test during this festive period.
In a letter sent to the Union Education Minister on Tuesday, CM Stalin underscored the cultural and traditional importance of Pongal, characterizing it as “not merely a festival but a profound representation of Tamil culture and traditional heritage that spans over 3,000 years.”
The Chief Minister mentioned that the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister had previously addressed this concern with the Union Minister on December 23, right after the NTA disclosed the exam timeline.
He also highlighted that the Tamil Nadu government has declared public holidays from January 14 to January 17 to celebrate the harvest festival.
“Conducting the NET exam during the Pongal holidays as planned will impose considerable difficulties on many candidates,” CM Stalin expressed in the letter.
He pointed out that the Chartered Accountants Foundation Examination, set for January 2025, had already been postponed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana to accommodate the Pongal and Makar Sankranti festivities.
Stalin urged the Union Minister to contemplate rescheduling the UGC-NET and other national examinations to ensure that students and scholars from Tamil Nadu and other states celebrating harvest festivals can sit for the exams without complications.
It's important to note that Tamil Nadu CPI(M) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Su Venkatesan, along with state Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan, had previously raised this issue with the Union Minister, yet there has been no response from the Centre thus far.
Pongal, which is among Tamil Nadu’s most important festivals, is celebrated with the state government distributing gift hampers to ration cardholders.
This year’s hampers will include Rs. 1,000 in cash, 1 kg of rice, sugar, tamarind, sugarcane, and 21 additional essential festival items.
To facilitate distribution and minimize crowding, the government is exploring direct bank transfers for the cash component. Should issues arise with bank transfers, funds will be disbursed via ration shops, as traditionally performed, with special tokens provided to beneficiaries.
The Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs. 100 crore for producing 1.77 crore dhotis and an equivalent number of sarees, which will be allocated to ration cardholders and beneficiaries under the Old Age Pension Scheme.
This year’s production signifies a substantial increase, with 77 lakh more dhotis and 53 lakh more sarees than the previous year.
The government has also resolved to utilize cotton yarn for the production cycle of 2024-25 and to introduce polyester yarn for the 2025-26 cycle, benefiting 63,000 power looms across the state.
