New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) In its latest affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Union government said that the data analysis conducted by IIT Madras shows that there is neither any indication of mass malpractice nor a localised set of candidates being benefitted, leading to abnormal scores in the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination held on May 5 this year.

“There is an overall increase in the marks obtained by students, specifically in the range of 550 to 720. This increase is seen across cities and centres. This is attributed to 25 per cent reduction in syllabus,” said the Union government, adding that candidates obtaining such high marks are spread across multiple cities and multiple centres, indicating a very “less likelihood of malpractice”.

After a comprehensive data analysis using parameters like marks distribution, city-wise and centre-wise rank distribution, and candidates spread over the marks range, experts of the IIT Madras opined “no abnormality,” the affidavit said.

The Union Education Ministry said that it is duty bound to address the concerns of the students who have appeared in the NEET exam and is making all-round efforts to devise a solution-oriented mechanism while ensuring that, on the one hand, no candidate guilty of malpractice gets any benefit and, on the other hand, 23 lakh students are not required to be burdened with a fresh test merely based upon unsupported apprehensions.

It said that the Union government has established a high-level committee of experts to recommend effective measures for the conduct of transparent, smooth, and fair examinations by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The seven-member committee is headed by K. Radhakrishnan, former ISRO Chairman, and Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Thursday a batch of pleas alleging irregularities in conduct of the NEET-UG examination 2024.

To decide if a re-test should be ordered in its entirety, a bench presided over by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in an earlier hearing held on Monday, directed NTA to make full disclosure before the apex court regarding the nature of the paper leak, the places where the leak took place, and the lag of time between the occurrence of the leak and the conduct of the examination.

It also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to file a status report indicating the status of the investigation and the material collected during the course of the investigation.

–IANS

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Lucknow, July 11 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, for the first time, has taken to sowing seed balls for the climatic and geographical conditions in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions, forest officials said.

The technique has a high-generation probability if done scientifically, officials added.

The sowing of seed balls has already started in forest blocks identified in the Jhansi forest division.

Some seven to eight lakh seed balls will be sown in seven forest divisions of the Bundelkhand region during the monsoon.

A seed ball is a 30 gm ball of soil and compost carrying at least six seeds of locally grown trees within it. As many as 42 local species have been identified for preparation of seed balls.

Two foremost requirements for high germination of seed balls are, higher and longer retention of moisture in soil at places where the seed balls are sown and seed balls having enough nutrition to last them through the longer period of germination, officials said.

Because Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions have hard soil and roots take time to penetrate deep, high nutrition in the balls will last the seed and the adventitious roots (small roots branching out) till the tap root (main root) develops.

While sowing, at least 85 per cent of the seed ball must be inside the soil to allow germination.

Similarly, while making the seed balls, it has to be ensured that it is dried fully; otherwise, the seed will germinate, even if it has the least amount of moisture in it or get fungus, before it is sown.

The least liquid content, water and ‘jeevamrut’, must be used in binding so that the seed balls dry up quickly.

To soak in the moisture from the mud and compost, rice husk is also used.

The department has trained people to make and sow the material, officials said.

In Vindhya region, surface run-off of water is high, because of which water retention in the soil is less and productivity of soil is also affected.

Because the water run-off rate is higher and the temperature is high, the soil is hard in the region.

The problem of stray cattle may compound it further by grazing on the vegetation on the ground, leaving no mulch.

The seed balls that germinate need to be protected from stray cattle.

“We have seeds from three species, two each, in the ball. This will help us raise multiple species at the same place if we provide them care,” said additional principal chief conservator of forest, Bundelkhand, K.K. Singh.

–IANS

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Raebareli, July 11 (IANS) A class 10 student at a private school in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli suffered multiple injuries, including a broken tooth, when he was brutally thrashed by his teacher over his incomplete homework, the police said.

According to reports, the teacher thrashed the boy so badly that he was knocked unconscious and collapsed on the floor. The teacher then fled the scene.

The students informed the principal, who then rushed the injured boy to the hospital.

Police arrested the teacher, identified as Mohammed Asif, who taught science subjects (Chemistry and Physics) on Wednesday.

Salon Station House Officer (SHO), J.P. Singh, said that the student was given homework in April, when the school closed for summer vacation.

On Tuesday, when the student reached the school, the teacher asked him about it.

“When the boy said he could not complete the homework due to some personal issues, the teacher lost his temper and thrashed him with a stick. As a result, he fell unconscious. He suffered serious injuries on his mouth and face,” said the police based on the complaint by the father of the student.

The SHO added that the school has also initiated an inquiry against the teacher.

The father of the student said his son was brutally thrashed and was taken to the hospital on Tuesday but was discharged a day later.

–IANS

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Varanasi, July 11 (IANS) Two youth, Ved Prakash Yadav and Aman Yadav Katta, were arrested for imitating a scene from the popular OTT series ‘Mirzapur’ for a social media reel, the police said.

According to the police, the two have been arrested over a viral video showing Ved taking a round of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Malviya’s statue in a car, with both of his legs on the dashboard.

The video also shows Ved smoking while sitting on a chair, even as Aman is standing behind him.

In the background, the theme song of ‘Mirzapur’ is playing.

Inspector Cantt Shivakant Mishra said that the duo had been arrested on charges of disturbing public peace.

Both the youth were produced before a magistrate and later released on bail.

The police official said that after the video went viral, resentment started brewing among locals as the reel had been shot near legendary freedom fighter and founder of BHU Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya’s statue.

–IANS

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Prayagraj, July 11 (IANS) The Prayagraj police have listed slain gangster Atiq Ahmad’s lawyer, Vijay Mishra, as a history-sheeter with the Cantonment police station on number 22 B, the police said.

The police have already listed Atiq’s sons Mohammad Umar and Ali Ahmed as history-sheeters with the Khuldabad police station of Prayagraj district on ’48B’ and ’57B’ numbers, respectively,

Vijay Mishra is the second Atiq lawyer to listed as history-sheeter.

Last month, another lawyer, Khan Saulat Hanif, was listed as history-sheeter.

The police also said that nine cases were registered against Mishra by different police stations of the district.

He was arrested on charges of seeking extortion from a Dariyabad-based timber merchant and sent to jail. He is currently lodged at the Naini Central jail.

The police had also made Mishra an accused in lawyer Umesh Pal’s murder case.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Deepak Bhuker said that the police are tightening the noose around Atiq’s gang members.

Atiq’s lawyer, Khan Saulat Hanif, has already been sentenced to life imprisonment for abduction and assault on lawyer Umesh Pal, who, along with two of his police gunners, was killed on February 24, 2023.

Four criminal cases have been registered against Khan Saulat Hanif.

–IANS

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