Dharmendra Pradhan Responds to Kharge’s Claims on Central University Reservations
In New Delhi, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed claims made by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge regarding the reservation of teaching posts in Central Universities. Kharge had accused the BJP of ‘snatching’ these reservations. Pradhan countered by stating that the Congress party has a “habit of lying.”
Pradhan highlighted that during the UPA rule, 37% of teaching posts were vacant, which has now decreased to 26.8% under the Modi government. He noted that in 2014, there were 16,217 sanctioned posts, with 6,042 vacant. Today, despite an increase in sanctioned posts to 18,940, the vacancy rate has dropped.
Pradhan also shared that the government has recruited over 6,890 teachers, including 939 from SC, 464 from ST, 1,535 from OBC, and 348 from EWS categories. He criticized Kharge for spreading confusion and demanded an explanation from Congress on their past actions regarding Dalit rights.
Kharge had previously claimed that 27% of teaching posts and over 38% of reserved posts for SC, ST, and OBC remain vacant. He accused the Modi government of failing to uphold social justice.
Doubts Revealed
Dharmendra Pradhan -: Dharmendra Pradhan is the Union Education Minister of India. He is responsible for overseeing education policies and institutions in the country.
Kharge -: Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader of the Congress party in India. He has held various important positions in the government and the party.
Central University -: Central Universities are universities established by an Act of Parliament in India. They are funded and managed by the central government.
Reservations -: In India, reservations are a system of affirmative action that provides opportunities in education and jobs for historically disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is one of the two major political parties in India. It is currently the ruling party at the central government level.
UPA -: UPA stands for United Progressive Alliance, which is a coalition of political parties in India led by the Congress party. It was in power before the current BJP government.
Dalit -: Dalits are a group of people in India who have been historically marginalized and discriminated against. They are often referred to as Scheduled Castes in official terms.