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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Merit Imperilled

From NEET paper leaks to the CBSE’s digital fiasco, India’s examination system appears to be confronting a major crisis of competence and credibility. For generations of our countrymen, examinations have been the principal mechanism through which talent, discipline and hard work could overcome social circumstance. In a country where millions compete for limited opportunities, examinations serve as the foundation of meritocracy. When that foundation begins to crack, the consequences extend far...

Merit Imperilled

From NEET paper leaks to the CBSE’s digital fiasco, India’s examination system appears to be confronting a major crisis of competence and credibility. For generations of our countrymen, examinations have been the principal mechanism through which talent, discipline and hard work could overcome social circumstance. In a country where millions compete for limited opportunities, examinations serve as the foundation of meritocracy. When that foundation begins to crack, the consequences extend far beyond classrooms. The latest turmoil within the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is yet another warning signal in a broader governance crisis engulfing India’s examination ecosystem. The transfer of the CBSE chairman and secretary, alongside the Centre’s decision to establish an inquiry into the procurement of services for the board’s on-screen marking system, comes amid mounting concerns about transparency, accountability and technological competence. The fiasco started when students seeking scanned copies of answer sheets reportedly received papers that did not belong to them. Cases of answer-sheet mismatches emerged and allegations surfaced regarding evaluation errors and grade misallocation. Just days before, India witnessed one of its most significant exam crises in form of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak scandal. What links the NEET scandal and the CBSE controversy is not merely administrative incompetence but the growing perception that institutions entrusted with safeguarding merit are struggling to safeguard themselves. India’s examination architecture has become extraordinarily complex. Every year, boards, universities and recruitment agencies process candidates through increasingly digitised systems. Yet, it is seen that technological adoption has often raced ahead of institutional preparedness. Digital platforms are introduced before adequate safeguards are established. As more work is outsourced, accountability becomes harder to fix and procurement decisions grows less transparent. The result is a dangerous erosion of trust. Examination systems depend not merely on procedural fairness but on public confidence in that fairness. Students must believe that answer sheets are secure. Parents must believe that marks reflect genuine performance rather than administrative error. The social costs of these failures are immense. Behind every examination controversy stand millions of young students who have invested years of effort and emotional energy into a competitive process. India’s demographic future depends heavily upon its ability to reward merit fairly and consistently. That demands rigorous technological audits, transparent procurement processes and clearly defined accountability mechanisms for vendors and administrators alike. Most importantly, policymakers must recognise that examination governance is not a peripheral administrative function but a core pillar of social mobility and state legitimacy. The danger facing India today is that repeated failures across institutions are normalising distrust. A nation that aspires to become a knowledge superpower cannot afford an examination system whose credibility is perpetually under question. When students lose faith in the fairness of examinations, the idea of merit itself begins to lose meaning. No governance failure could be more consequential.

India working on logistics of Tahawwur Rana's extradition

  • PTI
  • Feb 14, 2025
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 18, 2025

Tahawwur Rana

Washington: India is working on the logistics of Tahawwur Rana's surrender and extradition from the US, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said, as President Donald Trump announced that his administration has given the go-ahead to extradite the 26/11 terror attack accused “to face justice".

“This is an issue on which the US authorities have taken very clear decisions. I think you've seen the President announce it himself from the White House podium" the decision of the US to extradite Rana, Misri said at a press conference here on Thursday.


During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Tahawwur Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.


In response to a question by PTI on the timeframe by when Rana will be extradited to India, Misri said: "We are working on the logistics of his surrender and extradition to India. There are a few final steps to be completed. The two sides are in touch on this particular issue.”


The India-US joint statement issued during the Prime Minister's visit to the US notes that Modi and Trump reaffirmed that the global scourge of terrorism must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world.

“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in order to prevent heinous acts like the attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 and the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021," the joint statement said.


“Recognising a shared desire to bring to justice those who would harm our citizens, the US announced that the extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana has been approved," it said.


The leaders further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.

"The leaders also pledged to work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors,” the joint statement added.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

Speaking at the joint press meet, Trump said "Today I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters and very evil people of the world, and having to do with the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, to face justice in India. So, he is going back to India to face justice."


The extradition of Rana was cleared by the US Supreme Court in January as it rejected his review petition in the case.


India last month said it was working with American authorities for the early extradition of Rana.


"The US Supreme Court on January 21 declined to hear a petition from the accused. We are now working with the US side on procedural issues for early extradition to India of the accused in the Mumbai terror attack," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.


In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.

-PTI

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