Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 16 : The agitating student aspirants of UPSC Civil Services Exam, who were on indefinite hunger strike for over last one week, ended their fast this evening following a statement made by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space & Atomic Energy, on the floor of Lok Sabha saying that the Government will not allow students to suffer injustice on account of any bias based on language or any other factor.
Following the statement by Dr Jitendra Singh, a group of Members of Parliament led by Manoj Tiwari visited the protesting students and convinced them that after the Minister’s statement on record on the floor of the House, the continuation of agitation by them was no longer warranted and that they should co-operate with Government for resolve of their concerns.
The students on indefinite fast, then accepted to take fruit juice and break their hunger strike. They also conveyed their gratitude and appreciation to Dr Jitendra Singh for his initiative in breaking their stalemate and said that they had full faith in him.
Earlier in the day, soon after the question hour, Dr Jitendra Singh sought the permission of the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to voluntarily make a statement on the floor of the House since the opposition had been repeatedly raising the issue for the last two days.
In his statement, Dr Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha that the Government is fully aware of the issue relating to the Civil Services Exam and is taking a sympathetic view of the concerns of the students.
He appealed to the agitating students not to cause unnecessary physical and mental agony to themselves as the Government is already pursuing their cause in right earnest.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Government had constituted a three Member Committee to look into their grievances and put forward its suggestions. “We are writing to the Committee to expedite the process and furnish its report at the earliest considering the urgency of the matter”, he added.
Later, talking to the media outside the Parliament, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Government is looking at the concerns of the IAS aspirants with all seriousness, sensitivity and sympathy at its command. The present Government is as much worried about these young students as anybody else including their parents, he added. He said, the Government is committed to give a fair deal to all sections of society without any bias or prejudice.
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