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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

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,...

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, 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.

Mumbai 2023 Learjet crash probe in final stages

Mumbai: In a significant development post-Baramati Learjet 45 crash on Jan. 28, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that the probe into a disaster involving a similar aircraft at the Mumbai Airport on Sep. 14, 2023, is now in the final stages.

 

The AAIB statement came amid embarrassing questions after the Baramati incident in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party President Ajit Pawar and four others were killed. The small aircraft in both crashes were owned by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

 

Mumbai Crash

On the Mumbai crash, the AAIB said that a Learjet 45 aircraft (Reg. No. VT-DBL) took off from Visakhapatnam on Sep. 14, 2023, but nosedived, veered off the runway at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and crashed in heavy rains and poor visibility conditions.

 

“The aircraft had earlier taken-off from Visakhapatnam Airport and while landing at Mumbai airport, the aircraft continuously drifted to the right of Runway 27 and crash landed at the shoulder of the intersection of Taxiway W and N,” said the AAIB today on that incident.

 

The 8 persons aboard were identified as the pilot Capt. Sunil, and Capt. Neil, the First Officer, plus passengers and 2 crew Dhruv Kotak, K. K. Krishnadas, Aakarsh Shethi, Arul Sali, Lars Sorensen from Denmark and Kamakshi.

 

“The co-pilot suffered serious injury whereas the pilot-in-command and 6 passengers suffered minor injuries. The co-pilot could not be interviewed for a long time since he was in bad shape. The aircraft was destroyed during the accident,” it said.

 

Thereafter, the probe team prepared a detailed preliminary report on the disaster including the initial outcome of the flight recorders and published it on the AAIB website.

 

“The investigators analyzed all the evidence and other documents. The investigation is in final stages. The investigation team is trying their best to finalise the report on top priority,” the AAIB said, without mentioning the causes of the tragedy or fixing responsibility on anyone.


Opposition Ruckus

The AAIB’s affirmation came as the Maharashtra Opposition Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and other leaders raised suspicions over the Jan. 28 Baramati crash.

 

SS (UBT) Rajya Sabha Member Sanjay Raut even hinted at a conspiracy by drawing parallels with the death of Justice B. H. Loya (Dec. 2014) in Nagpur, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also smelt intrigue seeking a Supreme Court-monitored probe, though NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar declared that it was ‘an accident’.

 

Raut alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party had threatened the late Ajit Pawar with files related to the purported irrigation mega-scam after he tried to become cosy with the NCP (SP), and was open to a merger with his party, as asserted by Sharad Pawar.

 

“Something had happened behind the curtains… Ajitdada was keen for a reconciliation (with Sharad Pawar) after which the BJP warned him. Ajitdada responded to those threats and barely 10 days later, was killed mysteriously in the plane crash,” claimed Raut.

 

Comparing it with Justice Loya’s death, Raut cautioned that “questions are bound to be raised on Ajit Pawar’s death”, and the manner in which a tall leader like him was killed must be probed in the light of facts coming to light. “It think there is something dubious. Even his own (NCP) people are finding it suspicious,” he said.

 

Congress Legislature Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar contended that “80 pc of the people in the state believe there is something fishy going on” in the whole matter.

 

“A CID probe will not solve anything… Why was the pilot changed at the last minute? How did negligence happen in the case of such a big leader... What does it point to… The NCP leaders should demand a proper investigation from the PM Narendra Modi. Even before Ajitdada's funeral rites were completed, everyone rushed to grab power,” said Wadettiwar, without taking any names.

 

Interestingly, Ajit Pawar’s close aide and MLC Amol Mitkari questioned the last-moment change of pilot, how the number of persons allegedly 6 during take-off changed to five after the crash landing, though the documents were safe, the passengers perished.

 

BJP trashes allegations

Ace criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, a BJP Rajya Sabha Member, downplayed all allegations, terming them as ‘false’.

 

“It's shameful that they are doing such petty politics on the departed soul. We all know it was an accident. It is a pure accident, and I don't think there is any conspiracy in it," Nikam declared.

 

The Baramati Police Station has lodged an ADR into the plane crash and transferred it to the Pune CID for further probe, while the DGCA and AAIB are also investigating the crash separately.


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