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The Central government has informed the Rajya Sabha that a huge number of constable posts in the security forces.

The report stated that a staggering number of over 93000 Constable (General Duty) vacancies in various forces including Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles, according to the response of Ministry of Home Affairs to the question in Rajya Sabha on shortage of staff in frontline security forces.

The data reveal that the vacancy situation is present in Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Secretariat Security Force (SSF) and Rifleman (General Duty) in Assam Rifles.

The government's response came after the announcement of recruitment of SSC GD Constable 2026, which has shown 25487 vacancies for the posts of Constable (GD). The Commission has estimated that 23467 vacancies are for male candidates and 2020 for female candidates.

Officials have pointed out that the recruitment process in CAPFs is quite comprehensive as it involves a number of stages such as a computer-based test (CBT), physical efficiency test (PET), physical standard test (PST), and detailed medical examination. All these steps lead to the recruitment timeline getting stretched quite often.

The government also attributed various factors such as delay in recruitment cycles, medical disqualifications, retirements, and attrition in the forces to the large number of vacancies.

MPs have asked the authorities to accelerate the recruitment process in order to cover the shortage of manpower in those forces which are responsible for border management, counter-insurgency operations, and internal security.

Those who want to join the forces have been recommended to frequently visit the official SSC website to get the latest news on SSC GD 2026 exam schedule and recruitment process.

Meghalaya Board of School Education has announced the postponement of two Class 12 post-secondary school leaving certificate (HSSLC) examinations, which were to be held in the violence-affected West Garo Hills district.

This is due to safety concerns amid clashes that have been going on in connection with the nomination process of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election.

The board has stated that Music examination on March 11 and Anthropology paper on March 12 have been postponed only for those students who are coming from West Garo Hills district. In all other districts of Meghalaya, the examinations are going to be held according to the schedule.

The authorities explained that the decision of postponing was made after the imposed curfew in many areas as a result of the rising tensions between the tribal and non-tribal groups when the candidates were filing their nominations for the GHADC polls. The officials added that their main concern was ensuring the safety of students, invigilators and examination staff.

1. R. Laloo, Director (Accreditation) and Controller of Examinations of MBOSE, stated that only examination centres situated in West Garo Hills are affected by the postponement.

"We always put student safety first. The examinations scheduled on 11th and 12th March have been cancelled in the West Garo Hills district only as other areas are still safe. This is due to the fact that the law and order situation is severely disrupted, " Laloo mentioned. The board will publish the new dates for the examinations, which have been postponed, soon after the situation improves, he added.

Currently, there are approximately 29,000 students in the state who are taking the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) exams. Officials went on to explain that those students residing in other districts will be able to take their exams as per the previously announced schedule.

Students from the district which is affected have been instructed to keep visiting the official MBOSE website regularly for the latest information on the rescheduled examination dates.

The education authorities have also said that the postponement will be dealt with carefully so as not to cause much of a disturbance in the overall examination process and result declaration.

The Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan (RBSE) is set to release the Class 10 results for 2026 by March 20, source said.

"Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan (RBSE) will reveal the outcomes of the Class 10 examinations of 2026 at the latest by March 20, " officials stated. The official declaration in this case will be one of the earliest in recent years.

Exams attended by over 10 lakh students which were conducted from 12th February to 28th February are hoping for their results. Students can access their scores on the two official websites - rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in and rajresults.nic.in - by entering their roll numbers.

Board officials informed that the marking process has been significantly fastened after the involvement of more than 30,000 teachers, which led to the decision to announce results way ahead of the usual May schedule.

The news was shared during a media briefing organized by top board members and education department officials of the state. Pass percentage, performance of each district, and even merit lists will be published along with the results.

Students who do not clear one or more subjects will have the opportunity to appear for supplementary examinations scheduled in July 2026, the board said.

Reform Proposal: Twice-a-Year Board Exams

RBSE is at last eyeing a major overhaul in the system by planning to offer examinations twice a year as early as 2027. This new system will be applicable for students of Classes 9 to 12.

The proposal, which is being debated now, intends to lessen the burden of continuous study on students and give them an additional chance to get better grades. If the proposal is given a green light, the exam pattern may change to a semester system, thereby allowing students a second opportunity to appear for the same subject within the academic year.

According to the officials, test runs in some schools revealed encouraging outcomes nevertheless the scheme has to get the nod from the state cabinet following which it may be implemented.

Educationalists say that such measures might take Rajasthan's school assessment in step with the broad educational reforms being undertaken across the country based on the National Education Policy 2020, which among other things stresses the need for assessments that are more flexible and the lessening of exam-related stress for students.

In addition to that, students will, of course, have the right to ask for the re-evaluation or rechecking of their answer scripts subject to the board's prescribed rules once the announcement about the examination system is made.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has issued the official cut-off scores for the Civil Services Examination 2025 after releasing the final results this month. The cut-offs categorized by each category for the preliminary test, main written test, and final selection have been put up on the commission's official website.

Here are a few facts from the same. The Prelims Examination cut-off for the General category is 92.66 marks out of 200 in the General Studies Paper-I. Besides, candidates are required to score at least 33 per cent in the CSAT paper which is qualifying in nature.

For prelims, the cut-off for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) was at 89.34, while Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates required 92.00 marks for the qualification. Scheduled Castes (SC) cut-off was at 84.00 and Scheduled Tribes (ST) at 82.66, respectively.

According to category, for the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories, prelims cut-off marks ranged from 76.66 to 40.66.

The commission revealed the cut-off marks for the Mains written examination, which serve as a guide in deciding who qualifies for the personality test or interview stage. For the General category, the cut-off was 739 out of a total of 1750 marks, while for the EWS category, it was 706. The cut-off marks for OBC candidates stood at 717, for SC - 700, and for ST - 694. Ultimately, points from the mains examination and personality test (which total 2025 marks) are combined, the final cut-off was 963 for the General category. Final cut-offs were 926 for EWS, 931 for OBC, 905 for SC, and 902 for ST candidates. Civil Services Examination (CSE) is organized annually by UPSC to select candidates for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and other.

Those who are going to prepare for the next session may obtain detailed cut-off files by downloading them from the official UPSC website. Specialists have acknowledged that the released marks offer significant references to candidates who are gearing up for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026, where the level of rivalry is expected to be high.

Forty-three government school children studying in the same class in Coimbatore suddenly fell ill and were taken to the Coimbatore Government Hospital on Monday, as per the students. Preliminary information says the children came down with symptoms like nausea, vomiting and stomach pain right after having the food served to them at school.

Teachers and school authorities quickly alerted the local health officials, and the ailing students were taken to the government hospital for treatment.

The doctors working with the students revealed that most of them were very well and only under observation. At the same time, the medical personnel are making further tests to be sure that the students are not in any danger.

The authorities guess the students sickness has to do with the midday meal given under the government's school food program, but the real reason will be known only after a thorough investigation. The food samples from the school are taken and sent to the lab, according to the reports.

Officials from the education and health departments came to the school to look into the matter and check the food preparation and storage conditions. They assured that strict measures would be taken if any shortcomings in carrying out the meal programme are discovered.

The midday meal programme that is being run in all government schools is expected to offer nutritious meals to students and thereby improve their attendance and retention in education.

On the other hand, parents and local residents came to the hospital and school premises after the incident and asked for their safety to be assured in the meals given to the students.

District officials remarked that they have the situation under constant observation and that the affected children are being given the best medical care. More information will be released once the results of the food safety tests are available.

A fresh set of moves for minority groups in Karnataka was laid out Friday by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. New boarding schools are part of the plan, along with skill development hubs. Housing during studies, hostels, are also getting attention. Support for financial growth comes through dedicated programs. On top of that, upgrades to public facilities will roll out across regions where these communities live.

When he spoke about the state budget in the Assembly, education buildings will grow bigger, help reach further into overlooked neighborhoods. Schools gain space, young learners get more room to move. Support stretches wider for families who need it most. Training programs rise up where chances were slim before. Starting small businesses becomes possible through new guidance. Skills sharpen when tools arrive on time. Growth shows up quietly in places people once passed by.

Facing rising need, the chief minister noted more hostels will open for students while current housing campuses get upgrades. Though numbers grow, plans aim to balance space with better support inside dorms already running. Expanding rooms comes alongside fixes to older buildings where learners stay tonight. Growth pushes forward because classrooms fill faster each term. Upgrades roll out as officials watch how many sign up yearly. Dorm life should shift slowly under these changes taking place now.

"Twenty-five new post-metric hostels with a strength of 150 each will be started in districts with high demand. The student strength in existing 25 hostels will be increased by 50," he said.

Siddaramaiah announced setting up 10 Saint Shishunala Shariff Residential Schools "with CBSE curriculum" to meet the high demand for Minority Residential Schools. Rs 10 crore is provided for this purpose in the current financial year.

He added 25 new Saint Shishunala Shariff Residential Schools will be started in 2026–27.

Action is being taken to upgrade 117 Maulana Azad Model Schools and Urdu Schools as Karnataka Public Schools at a cost of Rs 600 crore. In the current year, an additional 100 schools will be upgraded under the same model at a cost of Rs 400 crore, he said.

Siddaramaiah said PUC Science and Commerce streams will be started in 25 Morarji Desai Residential Schools.

Commerce stream will be started in 18 APJ Abdul Kalam Residential Schools.

Further, four Residential Schools will be established as Centres of Excellence to provide quality coaching for K-CET, JEE and NEET examinations to selected meritorious PUC students of Minority Residential Schools, Siddaramaiah said.

The chief minister said learning centres and citizen service centres would also be set up to promote continuous learning among communities.

As demand for working women's hostels is high, four new working women's hostels with a capacity of 100 will be started in Bengaluru, he said.

The government also earmarked Rs 100 crore for the comprehensive development of Jain, Buddhist and Sikh communities, Siddaramaiah said.

He announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 6,000 to Dhammacharis of the Buddhist community.

Also, 5,000 students will be given Rs 50,000 each to purchase laptops to promote technical and advanced digital education among economically weaker, meritorious minority students, Siddaramaiah said.

The government will provide Fast Food Truck Trailers or Mobile Kitchen Food Kiosks facilities under the Entrepreneurship Development Scheme to unemployed youth among minority communities with a financial assistance of 75 per cent of the unit cost or a maximum subsidy of Rs three lakh, he said.

Minority Women Co-operative Societies will be established to promote self-employment among Women Self-Help Groups belonging to minority communities, the CM said.

Siddaramaiah also announced constructing Haj Bhavans in Hubballi and Kalaburagi to provide necessary facilities and amenities to Haj pilgrims and their relatives.

He said 31 Women PU Colleges under Waqf institutions will be upgraded to Degree Colleges. Further, a new women's PU College will be started in Savanur.

The chief minister announced that Waqf properties located in high-demand commercial areas will be developed under the Public-Private Partnership model.

The BJP flayed the budgetary provisions for minorities.

"It is the misfortune of the state that the Congress government in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which has made appeasement politics its ultimate goal, has earmarked a large portion of the state's treasury merely to preserve its vote bank," the party's Karnataka unit said in a post on 'X'.

It also put out the chief minister's photo in the post along with a crescent moon showing him wearing a skull cap as Muslims wear it. The caption read, "Brother's budget."