Trust Reset

As the recent protests over the NEET paper leak showed, India’s examination system has reached a point where incremental repairs are no longer enough. The appointment of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, headed by technology pioneer Nandan Nilekani, is therefore not merely an administrative response to the NEET-UG paper leak crisis but a concrete attempt to rebuild confidence in one of the country’s most important public institutions. Examinations are gateways to opportunity,...

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As the recent protests over the NEET paper leak showed, India’s examination system has reached a point where incremental repairs are no longer enough. The appointment of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, headed by technology pioneer Nandan Nilekani, is therefore not merely an administrative response to the NEET-UG paper leak crisis but a concrete attempt to rebuild confidence in one of the country’s most important public institutions. Examinations are gateways to opportunity, social mobility and professional ambition. For millions of students across the country, a competitive examination represents years of sacrifice by families and the possibility of a better future. When question papers leak repeatedly, evaluation systems fail or allegations of manipulation emerge, the resulting damage strikes at the idea of fairness itself. The crisis surrounding NEET-UG exposed uncomfortable vulnerabilities in the country’s examination infrastructure. The resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the subsequent appointment of Pralhad Joshi with additional charge of the ministry underlined the political seriousness of the issue. But political accountability alone cannot fix a structural problem. That is why the composition of the new task force is a move on the right direction. It brings together expertise from technology, space research, intelligence, education administration and logistics. Nilekani’s appointment is particularly significant. The former Infosys chief executive and architect of Aadhaar has experience in building large-scale digital public infrastructure involving hundreds of millions of citizens. The Aadhaar project itself was born out of a similar challenge: how to create a reliable identity system in a country where leakages and duplication weakened welfare delivery. India’s examination system now requires the same kind of thinking. The committee’s mandate to examine the entire examination lifecycle - from question paper creation and distribution to candidate verification, evaluation and results - is the right approach. The problem lies in multiple weak points where human intervention, poor security protocols and outdated processes can create opportunities for malpractice. Technology will inevitably be central to the solution. Artificial intelligence can help detect unusual patterns, blockchain-based verification can strengthen record security and better data systems can improve transparency. But a secure examination system requires independent oversight, professional management, clear accountability and swift punishment for wrongdoing. India’s National Testing Agency was created to bring efficiency and standardisation to public examinations. Its credibility must now be restored through reforms that are visible and trusted by students. The Nilekani task force has been given the difficult job of repairing that trust. The government has chosen a committee led by people with experience of managing complex national systems. It is a sensible first step. The real test will now be whether its recommendations translate into action.

Acrimonious Alliance

Correspondent
Feb 12, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Feb 14, 2025

Maharashtra’s ruling coalition, the Mahayuti, seems to be cracking at the seams. The alliance between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena appears to be fraying, with each passing week bringing new signs of strain. Once a kingmaker, Shinde now finds himself increasingly sidelined, his influence diminishing as Fadnavis consolidates control. The uneasy relationship between the two leaders is not merely a matter of political manoeuvring but is beginning to affect governance in a state regarded as one of India’s economic powerhouses.

The latest controversy stems from Shinde’s exclusion from the reconstituted State Disaster Management Committee. Though the government hastily amended rules to reinstate him following ire from Shinde’s camp, the episode laid bare the growing power imbalance. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, Fadnavis ordered an investigation into Shinde’s tenure as transport minister over the procurement of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses. The move was widely perceived as an attempt to weaken Shinde. More recently, Fadnavis appointed an IAS officer to lead the MSRTC, a role traditionally held by the transport minister - another Sena leader - further undercutting the party’s influence.

The discord extends beyond Shinde’s personal standing. Sena ministers are increasingly complaining about interference from the BJP. Uday Samant, the industries minister, recently penned a letter expressing his displeasure at bureaucrats making decisions without consulting him. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik was denied the chairmanship of MSRTC, further stoking resentment. Meanwhile, Sena leader Bharat Gogawale, passed over for the guardian ministership of Raigad, boycotted a key district meeting, underscoring the party’s growing discontent.

At the heart of this power struggle lies Shinde’s diminished stature. When he defected from the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, bringing with him a substantial faction, he was rewarded with the chief minister’s chair. But the recent state elections changed the equation. The Mahayuti alliance secured 230 of 288 seats, but the BJP’s commanding victory meant that Fadnavis, who had reluctantly ceded the top post to Shinde in 2022, was now in a position to reassert his dominance.

Shinde has been conspicuously absent from key cabinet meetings, and when he does attend, he arrives late. The Opposition Sena (UBT) has claimed that Shinde appears to be struggling to reconcile himself to the reality that his tenure as chief minister was merely a temporary arrangement. His growing irrelevance has emboldened BJP leaders to encroach on his turf.

Maharashtra’s economic and administrative priorities risk being derailed by political infighting. Governance cannot take a backseat to factional battles. If the current trajectory continues, Shinde may find himself reduced to a mere figurehead, while real power is wielded by Fadnavis and the BJP. The question now is whether Shinde will attempt to push back or resign himself to the inevitable. Either way, Maharashtra’s governance remains the collateral damage in this increasingly acrimonious power struggle.

Trust Reset

Acrimonious Alliance

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