Rajya Sabha today held a short duration discussion under rule 176 of Rajya Sabha on the tragic deaths of UPSC aspirant in a coaching centre in Delhi due to water logging.  Allowing the discussion Chairman Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhakhar remarked “I find that youth demographic dividend of the country has to nurtured, I further find that coaching has become virtually commerce....”

Shri Dhankhar also expressed concern over the huge expenditure made by coaching centres on newspaper advertisements, that is made out of the huge fees charged from the students, “Coachings have become a flourishing industry with high returns....every time we read a newspaper front one or two pages are by way of advertisements....Every penny spent on advertisement is coming from the students, every new building is coming from the students”, he added

Comparing to silos created in the country due to coaching culture to no less than ‘Gas Chambers’, Chairman stated “.....In a country where opportunities are getting enlarged this silo is turning out to be a problem.......they are becoming no less than a gas chamber....”.  He further urged members to make the youth aware about the various other employment & skill opportunities available in the country. 

Lamenting over the practice of boycott and rebuff by floor leaders of certain parties when they are called for discussion and making suggestions to ensure functioning of the house to the Chairman’s chamber, Shri Dhankhar said “ let me share my anguish, let me share my pain. This Chairman, when he makes a request for honorable members for a conference in the chamber, this rebuff is not only unprecedented, but dilution of Parliamentary decorum. The fact that floor leaders virtually seek to boycott the Chairman in chamber is certainly not a healthy practice.”

Earlier today Rajya Sabha members including Sudhanshu Trivedi and Swati Maliwal today gave a notice under rule 267 to discuss the matter of death of UPSC in a coaching centre. Chairman allowed the short duration discussion under rule 176 as Parliamentary affairs minister Shri Kiren Rijiju was ready  to discuss the matter under rule 267 citing the matter as urgent but LoP Shri maliikarjun Kharge and other opposition parties disagreed to discuss the matter under rule 267 and Chairman made it categorically clear that anything under rule 267 will only be discussed if the major parties agree and with the consensus of the house.

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MS/JK/RC