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NEW DELHI : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday announced that its much-awaited verification and re-evaluation portal for Class 12 students is now live, ending uncertainty after a delay caused by technical issues and cybersecurity concerns. In a post on X, CBSE Headquarters informed students that the portal had become operational and urged them to follow the application process carefully. “Dearest Students, The verification and re-evaluation portal is now LIVE! Please watch the video carefully for step-by-step instructions on how to apply for Verification of Marks and re-evaluation,” CBSE HQ said. The launch comes a day after a CBSE official told ANI that the portal, originally scheduled to go live on June 1, had encountered technical issues and would start soon. The delay had sparked concern among students and parents, particularly after reports of glitches during the answer-sheet access process earlier this month. CBSE had earlier stated that the portal would be made operational from June 1, 2026, to facilitate a transparent and seamless process for students seeking verification of marks and re-evaluation of answer books. “In order to ensure a transparent and glitch-free process for verification and re-evaluation of answer books of students who intend to submit their applications on the Post-Result Activities portal, it has been decided that the designated portal will now be operational from 1st June 2026. This is to ensure the highest standards and protocols of evaluation,” the board had said in a statement. The board has also advised students facing difficulties or seeking clarification to contact the CBSE Tele-Counselling Helpline at 1800 11 8004 or write to resultcbse2026@cbseshiksha.in. The portal’s launch follows CBSE’s recent efforts to address cybersecurity concerns surrounding the OnMark portal operated by its service provider. On Sunday, the board said it had deployed a team of cybersecurity experts from various government agencies and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to strengthen the platform’s security infrastructure. CBSE said identified vulnerabilities had been contained, and additional checks were underway to eliminate any remaining weaknesses. The board also acknowledged the contributions of alert citizens and ethical hackers who had flagged potential security issues, assuring students that every effort was being made to ensure a secure and reliable post-result process. This comes at a time when the CBSE continues to face mounting pressure following reports of technical failures in its post-result portal and OSM discrepancies in evaluated answer sheets. (Source: ANI)    

NEW DELHI : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBSE OSM row, saying he had the time to speak about mangoes during his monthly radio address, but not about 18.5 lakh children whose answer sheets were scanned with phones. The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said Prime Minister Modi’s silence on the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) issue is no longer indifference, it is “complicity”. In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast on Sunday morning, Modi referred to the king of fruits, saying there is hardly a home where mangoes are not talked about in the summer season. In a post on X, Gandhi said the CBSE’s May 2025 tender required answer sheets to be scanned with automatic robotic scanners, spines preserved, at a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch). “The tender re-issued in August quietly removed all of it. ‘Scanners’ became generic. The resolution dropped to 200 DPI. Now we know what that meant in practice. It has been exposed that COEMPT scanned the answer sheets using mobile phones,” the former Congress chief said. “The blurred copies, the missing pages, the unscanned books — they are not ‘errors’. They are the predictable outcome of a contract written to fit a vendor,” Gandhi said. This is fraud and every child whose marks were wrongly evaluated is a victim of it, he said. “This morning, the Prime Minister had time to speak about mangoes. He has not had time to speak about 18.5 lakh children whose answer sheets were scanned with phones. Dharmendra Pradhan ji still sits in office. Modi ji’s silence is no longer indifference. It is complicity,” Gandhi said. In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi noted that every region has its own mango and its own aroma. “Hapus or alphonso of Maharashtra, Kesar of Gujarat – these are the lifeblood of ‘aamras’; Dussehri of Uttar Pradesh and Langra of Kashi. There are mangoes from Bihar, whose aroma can be smelt from far. Chausa, Malda – memories of people are tied to every name,” he said. The prime minister said if someone goes to south India, people will find other varieties like Banganapalli, Totapuri, Neelam, Malgova; there is Himsagar in Bengal; Suvarnarekha of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. “In other words, the place changes, and so does the mango’s form, colour, and taste… This journey of the mango is now reaching from villages to the global market,” he said. Gandhi on Sunday targeted the Centre over the CBSE’s OSM row, sharing a video of his interaction with a group of students and describing them as brave young Indians who asked the Modi government simple questions but received “insults instead of answers”. Asserting that the students deserved a bright future, Gandhi said, “We will make sure they get it.” (Source: PTI)      

  NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to rejig his Cabinet next month, his first such exercise since he assumed power for a third consecutive term in May 2024. According to sources, some ministers are likely to be dropped, while the representation of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh is expected to go up in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. Among those likely to be dropped is Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra. He was appointed Delhi BJP president earlier this week. In his place, Lok Sabha member from West Delhi Kamaljeet Sehrawat is likely to be inducted into the Union Council of Ministers. Similarly, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary is set to be dropped. He took over as the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief in December 2025. The fate of Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu also hangs in the balance, given that the BJP top brass is said to be unhappy with his poll-management skills in the recently concluded local body elections in Punjab. There is also a question mark over his renomination to the Rajya Sabha. It remains to be seen if the Prime Minister will show the door to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is under fire over the NEET paper leak and the controversy involving the CBSE. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s continuation is said to be doubtful following the Opposition’s tirade against him over the infamous Epstein files. The chances of Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu being inducted into the Union Cabinet are high, as the BJP leadership is keen on increasing Punjab’s share in view of the upcoming polls. The other possibility is that former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar may be inducted into the Union Cabinet and subsequently nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Along with Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Assembly elections are due in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur in February-March next year. The portfolios of some ministers are also likely to be changed. There is no clarity on the future role of former BJP chief and Union Health Minister JP Nadda in Himachal Pradesh, which, along with Gujarat, goes to polls in December 2027. (Source: Newsdrum)

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to stay hydrated in view of soaring temperatures across the country. In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, he said people should take extra precautions when stepping out in the sun. “With temperatures soaring across much of the country, it is important to take extra care. Stay hydrated. If you need to step out in the sun, do so cautiously and take necessary precautions,” he said. “Keep drinking water. Don’t forget the guidelines issued by various government departments in this regard either,” he said. Prime Minister Modi had on Wednesday last also urged citizens to take maximum precautions as the country is witnessing soaring temperatures, and said staying hydrated is key during such harsh weather. Modi also referred to the king of fruits, saying there is hardly a home where mangoes are not talked about in the summer season. He noted that every region has its own mango and its own aroma. “Hapus or alphonso of Maharashtra, Kesar of Gujarat – these are the lifeblood of ‘aamras’; Dussehri of Uttar Pradesh and Langra of Kashi. There are mangoes from Bihar, whose aroma can be smelt from far. Chausa, Malda – memories of people are tied to every name,” he said. The prime minister said if someone goes to South India, people will find other varieties like Banganapalli, Totapuri, Neelam, Malgova; there is Himsagar in Bengal; Suvarnarekha of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. “In other words, the place changes, and so does the mango’s form, colour, and taste…This journey of the mango is now reaching from villages to the global market,” he said. (Source: PTI)        

NEW DELHI : There is currently no proposal under the Centre’s consideration to declare the cow the national animal or impose a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has said, noting that such demands continue to be raised by various groups. Meghwal noted that laws relating to cow slaughter vary across states and decisions are often taken based on local considerations. Responding to a question on calls for granting the cow national animal status and prohibiting cow slaughter across the country, Meghwal, in an interview to PTI, said such representations are regularly made to MPs and the government. “Various organisations keep working on these issues and approach MPs as well. People submit applications and make representations saying such a measure should be taken,” he said. However, the minister said no such proposal is presently under consideration by the Union Cabinet. “As of now, there is no such matter before us that is under consideration of the Cabinet. If at any point a proposal reaches a stage where it warrants a government decision or Cabinet consideration, we will inform you,” he said. “Different states take decisions on such matters based on their own circumstances and merits,” he said, referring to the BJP-led West Bengal government’s recent move to step up enforcement of cattle slaughter regulations under the state’s 1950 law. The minister acknowledged that demands for a complete ban on cow slaughter continue to be raised and are widely discussed, including on social media. “It is an issue that people keep bringing up. Efforts are being made by those advocating it, and discussions keep happening. But at present, it is not at a stage where a decision-making process has begun at the government level,” he said. While Hindu groups have been demanding the prohibition of cow slaughter in the country, several Muslim organisations and clerics have also called for declaring the cow the national animal and imposing a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani has been among those backing the demand, arguing that such a move could help reduce tensions surrounding the issue. Former vice-president Hamid Ansari has also supported the proposal, saying that if granting the cow national animal status could help address recurring disputes linked to cow slaughter, it should be considered. Ansari had also appealed to Muslims to avoid cow sacrifice, noting that Islam does not mandate the sacrifice of any particular animal. Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, a senior executive member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, has also endorsed the demand, saying recognition of the cow as the national animal would reflect respect for the religious beliefs and cultural sentiments attached to it by many Hindus. Similar appeals were made by many other Muslim leaders and clerics ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, bringing the issue back into public discussion in recent weeks.