New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) detected around 20 cases of manipulation in answer sheets during the first-time implementation of its on-screen marking (OSM) system this year, while over 13,000 answer sheets ultimately had to be evaluated manually due to scanning quality issues, government sources told PTI on Friday.The matter came to light when students looked at the scanned copies of their answer sheets uploaded on the CBSE portal and found that some were not theirs.“There was a case of Vedant. Vedant got the answer sheet and was horrified to see that it was not his answer sheet. There was a glitch in the scanning. There was also a girl named Sanjana there,” sources told PTI.Class 12 student Vedant had earlier gone viral on social media alleging that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE during the revaluation process was not his. Many other students, including Sanjana, also reported similar issues online.CBSE later contacted the students and shared the correct answer sheets. The board said that matters related to mismatched answer sheets and other concerns in the revaluation process are being handled on “top priority”.“In some cases, there were irregularities in scanning. There are around 20 such cases. This was pointed out by the students after seeing their answer sheets,” sources said.According to sources, more than 98 lakh answer sheets comprising about 40 crore pages were scanned under the OSM system.“Out of these 98 lakh answer sheets, around 68,000 were found to have quality issues during scanning and were re-scanned. Ultimately, a little over 13,000 copies did not achieve the required legibility quality even after re-scanning,” sources told PTI.The controversy over the digital assessment system has forced CBSE to postpone the opening of its Class 12 result post-verification and revaluation portal from May 29 to June 1.In a post on X, CBSE said the portal is being strengthened to ensure a “transparent, smooth and error-free process” for students applying for verification of marks, photocopies of answer sheets and revaluation services.A CBSE official said the website infrastructure is still being upgraded to avoid disruptions during the application process after many students reported technical glitches while accessing the post-result services.Students and parents had raised issues ranging from difficulty in accessing scanned copies of evaluated answer sheets to payment gateway failures and incorrect fee display on the portal.Concerns intensified after questions were raised over CBSE’s new OSM system introduced for Class 12 evaluation this year. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently acknowledged anomalies in the digital assessment system and assured students that corrective measures will be taken.The Board has advised students not to panic and use the official support channels for assistance regarding verification and revaluation services.CBSE expects huge traffic on the portal, lakhs of students can apply for post-result services. Reports suggest that more than four lakh applications for scanned copies of answer sheets had already been received.Officials defended the rollout of OSM, saying the technology-driven assessment improves transparency and allows answer sheets to be shared with students digitally.“Technology is the future. From next year, answer sheets will also be available in DigiLocker along with marksheets,” sources said.“From next year, all the answer sheets will be sent together on DigiLocker. Technology gives you a certain kind of transparency, which is not possible otherwise,” he said.“Whenever you do something for the first time, there are challenges,” sources said.Sources further said that Koempt and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had technically qualified in the final round of bidding for the project, with Koempt emerging as the lowest bidder.“When the financial bids were opened, Coempt had bid around Rs 24.75 per answer sheet including taxes, while TCS had bid around Rs 65-66 without taxes,” sources said.The contract has come under political scrutiny after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Koempt, earlier known as Globarena, had a controversial past in Telangana. He has demanded an independent judicial investigation and SIT investigation into this matter.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (AP Photo)

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s incredible IPL 2026 campaign hit another historic milestone on Friday Rajasthan Royals Kishore became the first uncapped player to score 700 runs in an IPL season. The record-breaking feat came during Rajasthan Royals’ high-pressure Qualifier 2 clash against Gujarat Titans, further cementing Suryavanshi’s place in IPL folklore. The youngster is already rewriting the record books at an astonishing pace. Earlier in the same game, Suryavanshi also became the first player in T20 history to score 500 runs in the powerplay during a tournament, highlighting his unprecedented dominance in the first six overs. By the time Qualifier 2 came, Suryavanshi was already in terrible form. In the last game, he scored a blistering 97 runs off just 29 balls and missed out on scoring the fastest century in IPL history. He also went ahead during that innings chris gayleThe number of 59 sixes is the record for the most number of sixes ever hit in an IPL season. Against Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals were once again under early pressure despite winning the toss and electing to bat first. Yashasvi Jaiswal He was out after scoring just one run in the initial over, while in the second over, Dhruv Jurel was also out due to the early dismissal of Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada. The double blow showed how much RR had relied on their top order throughout the tournament. Amidst the fear of collapse of the innings, the responsibility once again fell on Suryavanshi. Interestingly, Rajasthan Royals promoted Jadeja to No. 4 and the move worked brilliantly as he joined Suryavanshi to steady the innings. Despite early wickets, RR crossed the 70-run mark inside the powerplay.Highest scoring IPL seasons by uncapped players:

The historic season now sees Suryavanshi sitting alone at the top of the list of highest-scoring IPL campaigns by uncapped players. His 700-run season has overtaken Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 625-run campaign of 2023 and Shaun Marsh’s iconic 616-run season in the 2008 inaugural edition.

In an important step towards strengthening specialized health services for women and children in Bengaluru, Rainbow Children’s Hospital and Birthright by Rainbow Hospitals has launched its state-of-the-art healthcare facility at HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar. The new center is designed to provide integrated and advanced tertiary care for women, newborns, infants, children and adolescents under one roof.With over 26 years of experience in women’s and children’s healthcare, Rainbow Children’s Medicare Limited has expanded its presence with the launch of a new facility at HRBR, Bengaluru, as part of its broader focus on specialized and patient-centric healthcare services. Located in the rapidly developing HRBR Layout area of ​​North Bengaluru, the 60-bed facility aims to meet the growing demand for specialized women’s and pediatric health care in the area. Along with state-of-the-art medical infrastructure, the hospital provides family-centric care based on safety, comfort and positive clinical outcomes.A highlight of the facility is the Birthright Women’s Health Care Division, dedicated to providing a comprehensive support system to women at all stages of life. The Obstetrics Department provides complete maternal care from conception to delivery and postnatal recovery. It is fully equipped to manage routine and high-risk pregnancies with dedicated maternal intensive care services, painless deliveries, minimally invasive options and tailored postnatal care plans.Specialized care for women of all age groups is offered through the Department of Gynecology, covering areas such as adolescent gynecology, reproductive health, menopause, hormonal disorders and gynecological surgeries. The department also focuses on breast health, urology, wellness, physiotherapy, nutrition counseling and preventive health care. The primary objective is to provide personalized care tailored to a woman’s changing health care needs.

The hospital has an advanced fetal medicine unit that supports mothers experiencing high-risk pregnancies or complex fetal conditions by offering specialized monitoring and treatment. Services include prenatal diagnosis, screening, pre-conception genetic counseling and advanced procedures, ensuring early diagnosis and timely intervention.The hospital’s new fertility division, Birthright Fertility, provides comprehensive support to individuals and couples experiencing infertility. Advanced treatment options available at the center include intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), laser-assisted hatching, blastocyst culture and embryo freezing. Patients benefit from an integrated care model, allowing seamless transitions between reproductive, maternity, neonatal and pediatric services under one roof.In addition to comprehensive women’s health services, the hospital provides a full range of neonatal and pediatric care through an established network of specialists. The general pediatric service covers all areas of children’s health from birth to 18 years of age, promoting preventive care, routine immunization schedules, diagnosis of acute and chronic disease, and developmental assessment.Additionally, the hospital provides specialized pediatric services including pediatric surgery, ENT services, pediatric cardiology, pediatric neurology, pediatric orthopedics and pediatric endocrinology. It also provides care in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Pulmonology, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and Pediatric Dermatology. This multidisciplinary approach ensures accurate diagnosis and comprehensive treatment for a wide variety of conditions.

The hospital has a fully equipped Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which provides specialized critical care services for infants, children and adolescents requiring intensive monitoring and treatment. Supported by expert pediatric intensivists and advanced life-support systems available 24/7, the PICU is designed to provide timely intervention and high-quality critical care.A key feature of the facility is its advanced Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which provides around-the-clock expert care for critically ill newborns, premature infants and low birth weight infants. Equipped with advanced neonatal technology and supported by experienced neonatologists, the NICU is capable of managing complex neonatal conditions and surgical cases.With 24/7 emergency and critical care services, the hospital ensures continuous medical support and timely intervention. The integrated healthcare model enables experts from all departments to work closely together, ensuring a seamless patient experience and coordinated care delivery at every stage of treatment.Rainbow Group is one of the largest and most preferred healthcare groups for women and children in India, operating 24 hospitals and 6 clinics in 9 cities across the country. Established in 1999, the Group has consistently focused on improving health care delivery through innovation, clinical excellence and compassionate care. The launch at HRBR Layout reflects their vision of bringing world-class healthcare closer to families in North Bengaluru, creating a brighter future for families and a brighter start for their children.Disclaimer – The above content is non-editorial, and TIL disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to it, and does not guarantee, endorse or necessarily endorse any content.

Valluvan (58), a farmer in Pollachi district, said he is spending Rs 500 per tree annually, while the earning is only Rs 300.

New Delhi: A Tamil Nadu farmer, who once lost Rs 200 on growing each coconut tree, has transformed his 11-hectare holding into a Rs 2.5-3 lakh per acre enterprise through multi-crop, tree-based farming – earning him recognition as a UN FAO Soil Farmer Hero. Valluvan (58), a farmer in Pollachi district, said he was spending Rs 500 per tree annually while earning just Rs 300, leaving him stuck in a cycle of losses before he changed his approach in 2009. “I was losing money on every coconut tree I owned. I knew I had to find a solution,” he told reporters in New Delhi. The change came after the emergence of Isha Foundation’s The Save Soil – Cauvery Calling programme, promoted by spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, which advised a shift to multi-crop, multi-tier tree-based agriculture.

From three crop varieties, Valluvan now cultivates more than 14 varieties on the same land – coconut, nutmeg, black pepper, seven banana varieties, turmeric, elephant yam, curry leaves and 30 tree varieties. Income steadily increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 2.5-3 lakh per acre, while the organic carbon content of the soil increased from 0.5 per cent in the first year to 1.56 per cent in the seventh year. The farm also faced two severe droughts, including a 2017 crisis when groundwater levels dropped more than 1,000 feet and there was no rain for two consecutive years – a period when many neighboring farmers cut down their coconut trees. Through mulching and rainwater harvesting pits, the field maintained adequate moisture without additional irrigation. It now uses one-tenth the water it once required, and Valluvan hopes to eliminate irrigation needs altogether within a few years.

“Even sensitive crops like nutmeg and pepper, which farmers say require a lot of water, survived without additional irrigation,” he said. The farm’s multi-crop model also acts as an economic hedge, said Anand Ethirajalu, project director of Save Soil – Cauvery Calling. “If coconut prices fall, his nutmeg saves him. If nutmeg also falls, his banana saves him. He has a range of crops,” Ethirajalu said, comparing the strategy to that of a cricket team with equally capable options. Since its 2019 expansion, Cauvery Calling has planted 13.4 crore trees on private agricultural lands in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – about 10 per cent of the 242 crore trees targeted to restore year-round flow in the Cauvery river basin. However, Ethirajalu identified scaling, funding and policy barriers as major obstacles to widespread adoption, calling for drip-irrigation support for wood crops, removal of restrictive state-level timber-sale regulations, and insurance and subsidy schemes for tree-based agriculture. “The only solution to global warming and the climate crisis looming over the entire world is tree-based agriculture,” Valluvan said.

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party chairman Arvind Kejriwal Hailed the party’s victory on Friday after securing majority in urban local bodies in Punjab.In a post on Twitter, Kejriwal took a sharp dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that people have taken revenge on him. He termed BJP as ‘ED party’ and accused it of harassing people by raiding small traders in Punjab.“Hearty thanks to the people of Punjab for the landslide victory of Aam Aadmi Party in the urban areas of Punjab. Congratulations to all. People have appreciated the work of the public by casting this historic vote.” Bhagwant Maan Government. Kejriwal said, we will continue to do good work like this in future also.He said, “The ED party has been wiped out. The ED party which had troubled the people of Punjab by conducting so many raids on small traders, today people have taken revenge from it.”Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also expressed happiness over AAP winning ‘a large number of wards’ in the municipal elections and leading in several other wards, saying people have defeated the ‘opposition’s politics of hate’ and supported the ruling party’s developmental politics.“The people of Punjab have defeated the politics of hatred and supported developmental politics. They have rejected parties pursuing divisive politics,” Mann said.“People came to vote in hot weather, standing in queues,” he said.AAP scored an impressive victory in 102 municipal bodies, winning 862 out of 1,765 wards counted so far. Voting took place in a total of 1,977 wards on 26 May.Congress stood second by winning 348 seats. Independents finished third with 242 wards, more than Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which won 169 wards. Meanwhile, BJP and BSP won 138 and six wards respectively.These elections are being seen as a litmus test for the ruling party before the assembly elections to be held in early 2027.Elections to 102 municipal bodies comprising 1,897 wards of eight municipal corporations—Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot—as well as 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats were held on May 26 using ballot papers, recording 63.94 per cent voter turnout.A total of 7,554 candidates were in the fray in the local body elections. Candidates were elected unopposed in 80 wards out of 1,977 wards.

An illegal immigrant from India has been jailed for 10 years in the US after paying human traffickers to abuse minor girls in a hotel in Nebraska.Kavankumar Patel, a 27-year-old citizen of Gujarat, India, who is living in the US illegally, was sentenced this week in a federal court in Omaha, Nebraska. Patel was given a decade-long prison sentence after being convicted of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor.Upon his release, he will be sentenced to five years of supervised release, in addition, he will face deportation back to India due to his illegal immigration status.The sex trafficking ring was busted on January 6, 2025, after Omaha police officers responded to a routine theft complaint. While investigating the case, officials observed clear signs of possible human trafficking at the location.The Homeland Security Task Force and local police launched a rescue operation, rescuing two underage girls, ages 15 and 16, from the AmericanInn Hotel in Omaha. The victims were at times transported across state lines between Denver and Omaha to be sold for commercial sex. Following their rescue, both teenagers were taken to Project Harmony for expert interviews.During their interviews, both victims revealed that their traffickers had forced them to comply with an ultimatum. The girls were told that they had to perform sexual acts with hotel staff to gain a discounted room rate, otherwise they would be thrown out onto the street. Hotel staff actively enabled the abuse. Two employees paid traffickers to abuse one girl, while a third employee had sex with another minor. Patel worked at the AmericanInn and admitted that she stole money directly from the hotel cash to pay traffickers to have sex with one of the underage victims.In exchange for these sexual relations, the hotel staff allowed the traffickers and two minors to stay on the premises for several days. During this time, traffickers posted commercial sex advertisements online and coordinated appointments for clients. The victims later reported that they were given very little food and were trapped. They thought they had no choice but to follow the smugglers’ orders.After sentencing, United States Attorney Leslie A. Woods praised the multi-agency rescue operation.“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will never tire of working as hard as we need to protect the most vulnerable victims in our communities,” Woods said.

HBSE reschedules HTET exam due to administrative reasons

HTET 2025 postponed: : The Haryana Board of School Education (HBSE) has announced the postponement of the Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET) 2025, which was earlier scheduled for June 13 and 14, 2026. Board Chairman Shankar Lal Dhupar informed about this decision in an official press statement issued here today.Chairman Shankar Lal Dhupar said that the HTET 2025 exam, which was originally scheduled for June 13 and 14, 2026, has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The Board has taken this decision keeping in mind the operational requirements and logistical considerations to ensure smooth conduct of the examination in a fair and transparent manner. In this regard, a second revised press note including photo has also been issued by the board. HTET is a state level eligibility test conducted for recruitment and eligibility certification of teachers for primary, secondary and senior secondary levels in government schools across Haryana. It is considered an important qualifying examination for teaching candidates in the state education system.This decision was taken by the Board after an internal review and coordination with the district administration to ensure that the examination infrastructure, manpower deployment and security arrangements are completely in place ahead of the revised schedule.Revised exam dates announcedThe board has now rescheduled the HTET 2025 exam to July 4 and 5, 2026. Candidates appearing for the eligibility test will now have additional time to prepare. The examination will be conducted under the strict guidelines and supervision of the board officials at various centers in the state of Haryana. The officials have assured that all necessary arrangements will be made to ensure smooth conduct of the examination on the revised dates.Candidates are advised to visit the official websiteChairman Dhupar further said that candidates seeking more information regarding HTET examination are advised to regularly visit the official website of Haryana Board of School Education www.bseh.org.in. All updates, notifications and important instructions related to the examination will be made available on the website from time to time. Candidates have been urged to rely only on official sources for authentic information and avoid misinformation being spread on social media platforms. The move is aimed at ensuring that candidates receive timely and verified information and are able to plan their preparation and exam strategy without confusion or misinformation.Officials reiterated that there have been no changes in the exam structure and syllabus other than the revised dates. The Board has appealed to the candidates to maintain patience and continue their preparation with full focus, as the revised schedule is final until the same is informed on the official website. Candidates should regularly monitor the updates to avoid any official notification released.

A Canadian man accused of supplying deadly substances linked to the deaths of more than 100 people in Britain will not be extradited to face prosecution in Britain.Kenneth Law, 60, is currently facing criminal proceedings in Canada and is expected to appear in court in Ontario on Friday. He is accused of inciting suicide after allegedly delivering packages containing deadly substances to customers in dozens of countries.The National Crime Agency linked Law’s alleged operation to 112 deaths in the UK after finding 286 people had received packages from websites selling substances linked to assisted suicide, Sky News reports.Investigators found that 330 products were sent to the UK. Law is accused of sending approximately 1,200 packages to customers in 40 countries.The NCA and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) informed the families this week that they will not seek Law’s extradition after the Canadian proceedings conclude.In a letter sent to the families of those killed, the agencies said they agreed that the full scale of the alleged crime should be punished through the same legal process as in Canada. “After careful assessment, we agreed that Mr. Law should be sentenced for the full extent of his crime under the same sentencing process in Canada,” the letter said.Officials acknowledged that some families had expected a separate prosecution in England and Wales, but said the decision was taken after detailed consideration of all available options.The move prompted renewed calls for a public inquiry from relatives of those who died.Adele Zeynep Walton, whose sister Amy Walton died aged 21 in Southampton in 2022, said the family were still waiting for answers about how the substance was able to reach vulnerable people in Britain.“Foreign sentencing hearings cannot answer this. Only a statutory public inquiry can answer this,” he said, as quoted by Sky News.The law has also been investigated by authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand as law enforcement agencies investigate the international reach of the alleged scheme.