Jharkhand assembly passes bill to boost state's healthcare sector

The Jharkhand Health Science University Bill, 2023 was passed by the Assembly on Friday.

Speaking to ANI, State Health Minister Banna Gupta said the Bill will prove to be a milestone for the state's healthcare sector.

"This Bill was needed because we want all-round development of the state. I believe that this Bill will prove to be a milestone for our youths, students and the healthcare sector in general."

The minister added that previously, the state government had to tie up with a university for conducting a public examination.

"Now, we have set up a system which will benefit the students. This is a historic day for Jharkhand," he told ANI.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Jharkhand Assembly passed the Jharkhand Competitive Examination Bill, 2023.

The Bill aims to crack down on the use of unfair means and irregularities in examinations and plug incidents of question paper leaks, as it deals with stringent provisions of punishment for students caught cheating as well as a nexus involved in leaking question papers or any other illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said his government's aim is to secure the future of students caught in the nexus involved in the alleged 'paper leak' in competitive exams in the state.

The Bill proposes strict punishment for cheating and paper leaks in competitive exams conducted by the Jharkhand government. Any candidate caught cheating or using any unfair means during a competitive exam will be punished with three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.

On failure to pay the fine, the prison term will be extended by another 9 months, the Bill proposes.