New Delhi: Action is set against Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officials as the Education Ministry has initiated internal action over alleged irregularities in a controversial tender process and serious vulnerabilities in the board’s digital assessment ecosystem.According to ministry sources, a detailed report has been sought from CBSE on the tender process related to the board’s On Screen Marking (OSM) system. Sources said as the clarifications given so far have failed to completely satisfy the ministry, accountability is now likely to be fixed at multiple levels within the board.“The ministry is taking strict action against those responsible. Responsibility will be fixed,” a senior official said. Sources said if procedural lapses or negligence are proven, “there is a possibility of a windfall”.The controversy over the OSM tender escalated when allegations emerged that the eligibility conditions and technical criteria were revised in several rounds of bidding before Hyderabad-based Koempt Edu Tech emerged as the successful bidder. Critics and opposition leaders questioned whether the procurement criteria were diluted in favor of a particular company, especially when complaints of blurred answer sheets, missing pages and technical glitches started emerging during the revaluation process.CBSE has rejected the allegations of wrongdoing and said that normal financial rules and established procurement procedures were followed in the tender process. However, the controversy deepened after ethical hackers and independent developers identified vulnerabilities in systems linked to the board’s digital assessment infrastructure.Ministry officials said the vulnerabilities became more serious because CBSE has not yet maintained a comprehensive digital repository architecture for answer sheets and related examination records. The absence of robust archival and cyber security systems is now being examined separately as part of a broader review of the board’s digital preparedness.Meanwhile the ministry has roped in experts from IITs to plug technical gaps, strengthen cyber security safeguards and audit the revaluation portal architecture. CBSE has been directed to strengthen the system and ensure that all revaluation requests are processed through a secure and transparent mechanism.Officials stressed that the interests of students will be protected and the revaluation process will continue under increased monitoring and supervision.