39 lakh students to witness pm's 'pariksha pe charcha' this year 50% up from last says govt

39 lakh students to witness pm's 'pariksha pe charcha' this year 50% up from last says govt

This year's event is scheduled to take place in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium on 27 January and will be telecast live across the country.

New Delhi: The number of students registering for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction — ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ has grown tremendously over the years, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Tuesday.

It is an event where Modi interacts with students and tries to answer their questions related to exam stress and other issues.

This year's ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ is scheduled to take place in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium on 27 January and will be telecast live across the country.

While the event was primarily for school students, higher education institutions have also been asked to virtually attend the event.

The event, which started in 2018, saw 20,000 students register in the first year. In 2019, that number was 158,000, it was three lakh in 2020, 14 lakh in 2021 and 15.8 lakh in 2022, Pradhan said at a media meet on Tuesday. This year, the registrations are 38.8 lakh, he said.

During the event, the Prime Minister talks to students on various topics, including mental well-being, tips on exam preparations and ways to handle stress.

With a 50 percent increase in registration this year over the last, the event ‘has become more of a student movement in recent years’, Pradhan said.

He informed that more than 2,000 students would physically attend the ‘charcha’ in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. ‘We have tried to include more students from state board schools this year so that more and more students from regional schools get a chance,’ he added.

The ministry has received nearly 20 lakh questions from all over the country, including from experts, parents, schools and students. ‘The questions that should be asked during the interaction have also been discussed in advance and the NCERT is going through them,’ Pradhan said.

Students are also interested in tips on staying healthy and their future careers, the minister informed.

The higher education regulators All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) have sent letters to colleges and universities asking them to ‘make necessary arrangements’ for teachers and students to attend the event virtually. The letters quote orders sent to them by the Ministry of Education.

‘It is requested to please send appropriate advisory to make necessary arrangements so that all the students in higher education Institutions/universities under your Department as well as under State Governments can view/hear the telecast,’ the 10 January letter sent by the Ministry of Education to the AICTE and UGC read.

‘Although most institutions/universities are equipped with TV and have electric connection, in case electricity, TV and reception of TV signal is not available or in non working condition in the institutions/universities, then action to ensure that arrangement for a TV and facility for TV reception (including making alternate arrangements for electricity that day through generators/inverters, etc.) to ensure that students can watch the Prime Minister's live address on that day may be taken in all institutions/universities,’ it added.