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,...

min read

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.

Ashok Chavan: A Rocky Road Ahead

Abhijit Joshi
Oct 20, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

The Congress party has been fortunate in Maharashtra, where political families like the Thorats, Shindes, and Gaikwads have remained loyal over the years. However, after the 2014 Modi wave, a few Congress loyalists such as the Vikhes and Deors gradually drifted towards the BJP or other factions. Despite this, the Chavan family from Nanded, known for their unwavering loyalty to the Gandhi family, stayed with Congress through thick and thin. Ashok Chavan, in particular, was a trusted leader within the party.

But things took a turn when the fear of ED investigations allegedly caused Ashok Chavan to switch sides to the BJP. While everyone knows this chapter of history, the bigger question now is: What lies ahead for Ashok Chavan?

The upcoming state elections will be a true test for Ashok Chavan. His internal and external battles are intensifying, especially with Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan contesting the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll after his father’s death. The situation became more complicated when Chavan’s brother-in-law, former Nanded MP Bhaskarrao Patil-Khatgaonkar, along with ex-MLA Omprakash Pokarna and Minal

Patil-Khatgaonkar, rejoined Congress after initially following Chavan to the BJP. After his resignation from Congress, Ashok Chavan was expected to bring political acumen and influence to the BJP. But so far, it hasn’t worked out. He couldn’t secure a win for BJP in Nanded, a seat that was once seen as a sure victory for the party. This failure was a major setback, especially when BJP’s leadership was unsure about other victories in the state during the Lok Sabha elections.

Chavan’s second challenge came when he failed to manage the Maratha reservation agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange-Patil. As a Maratha leader, Chavan was expected to mediate and calm the situation, but he was unable to do so, leaving the state BJP leadership dissatisfied.

To make matters worse, Chavan has not made any significant impact within Congress either. In fact, his own brother-in-law, Bhaskarrao Patil-Khatgaonkar, returned to Congress, signaling Chavan’s diminishing influence even among his closest allies.

Chavan’s future in BJP looks uncertain. His daughter, who has been involved in social work, is also eyeing the upcoming state elections. But whether her efforts will translate into political success remains to be seen.

1 Comment

Pramod Sawant

Oct 21, 2024

Perfect analysis.