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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."

A professor at JNU sends a letter to the President. The note claims certain staff members are pushing false narratives about the Vice Chancellor. Tensions rise within academic circles. Accusations fly over who is twisting facts. Some stand by the administration. Others say leadership crossed a line. Rumours spread through departments. Meetings happen behind closed doors. Trust begins to crack under pressure. Words once spoken cannot be taken back

Besides the uproar surrounding accusations of caste, based on comments by JNU's vice chancellor, one professor addressed President Droupadi Murmu directly through a public note. This faculty member claimed the university's teaching staff group, JNUTA, is pushing misleading narratives about Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit. Instead of standing together, internal divisions now color how events are being framed on campus.

Behind this move stands growing anger after the university's vice chancellor made remarks about Dalits in a podcast last month. Outrage followed, voiced loudly by both the Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union and the JNUTA. Their criticism emerged quickly, shaped by what was said off campus but felt deeply within it. Words spoken there still ripple through corridors now.

“I write this heartfelt open letter with deep respect for the constitutional office you hold and the values that the Republic of India stands for,” Doss wrote. “However, there is growing concern among faculty members and students regarding the increasing spread of distorted propaganda and misleading narratives on the JNU campus by JNUTA.”

This letter comes days after JNUTA demanded Pandit’s removal from office in a representation to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In that letter, the teachers’ body alleged that Pandit’s comments in the podcast dismissed University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulations and contained casteist undertones.

JNUTA questioned the Centre’s silence on the matter and the detention of students who had protested against the remarks.

“We would at least be able to appreciate the honesty of the government if it instead stated clearly that it endorses the casteist views of the JNU VC,” the association wrote. “By not saying so and not acting against the JNU VC, the impression is being allowed to gain ground that the Government is not serious about addressing the issue of caste discrimination in higher education institutions,” JNUTA wrote.

The teachers’ body added that it had sought the VC’s removal three times last year. “Your Ministry would be well aware of the fact that the JNUTA had made this demand in three successive representations to the Honourable Visitor — on 1 September 2025, 22 September 2025, and 21 November 2025,” it said.

In his letter to the President, however, Doss strongly rejected JNUTA’s claims, accusing the association of deliberately misrepresenting Pandit’s statements.

“The JNUTA’s distorted propaganda is a deliberate manipulation, alteration, or misrepresentation of information to shape public opinion, promote a specific agenda, and demonise the JNU’s VC,” Doss wrote.

Doss further alleged that the teachers’ body had selectively interpreted Pandit’s remarks. “The JNUTA is passionate about wilfully altering, omitting, and reorganising JNU VC’s statements for its vested interests,” the letter states.

Doss also referred to alleged vandalism at the university’s Central Library by members of the JNUSU, questioning whether such actions could be justified as part of the university’s intellectual culture.

“If vandalism damages the property of a university that stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for progress, for the adventure of ideas and for the search for truth, how can it be vindicated as part of JNU’s intellectual culture?” the letter stated.

Doss also alleged that several earlier letters he had written to JNUTA had gone unanswered. “Questions remain unanswered to date despite 3–4 open letters to JNUTA,”  asking whether the association was committed to “truth, academic integrity and intellectual honesty.”

Copies of the letter have also been sent to the Vice-President C P Radhakrishan, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Minister for Education.

When contacted, a member of JNUTA said “JNUTA is an elected body and functions as per a set of rules and guidelines.”

A two, day regional workshop for the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centres (MMTTCs) of different universities in the eastern and north, eastern zones, organised by the UGC at the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), ended on Sunday. Besides 15 MMTTCs directors, a few officials from the Union education ministry and the UGC were present at the event.

Speaking at the workshop, the CUSB vice, chancellor Kameshwar Nath Singh spoke about how MMTTCs are playing a very crucial role in the professional development of faculty members of various higher education institutions.

He mentioned that these centres, which were set up as a result of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, have helped in the realisation of the country's vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. Singh expressed that the policy not only talks of changes in the curriculum and pedagogy but also stresses character building and the creation of citizens who are really responsible for their actions.

UGC joint secretary J K Tripathi underlined the govt’s commitment to strengthening professional development initiatives for higher education faculty. Stressing the importance of the UGC’s Malaviya Mission Teacher Training programme, he called for enhanced collaboration between higher education institutions and MMTTCs to ensure effective dissemination of quality education.

Senior psychiatrist and programme director at Expressions India, Jitendra Nagpal, delivered a detailed lecture on “mental health and a safe learning environment in higher education institutions.” Aparajita from the Change Ink Foundation conducted a session on specific learning disabilities (SLDs) to promote inclusivity on campuses. Sujata from the Wadhwani Foundation spoke on equity, inclusion and access in higher education.

During the workshop, participants presented the progress of their respective MMTTCs and shared best practices. A brainstorming session was also held with UGC and education ministry officials.

CUSB’s MMTTC director Tarun Kumar Tyagi, advisory committee member Rampratap Singh, and faculty members Pragya Gupta, Shashi Ranjan, Vikal Singh and Renu also addressed the workshop.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced while unveiling the state budget on March 6 that the government would be launching a new project named K, QUEST (Karnataka, Quality Upgradation for Employment and Skills Transformation) focused on improving the state's skill development ecosystem. The total budget for the project is Rs 1, 386 crore for a period of five years.

"The project will be rolled out in collaboration with Asian Development Bank and seeks to renovate and modernize the physical facilities as well as enhance the quality of training provided in Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Karnataka German Technical Training Institutes (KGTTIs), Karnataka Skill Development Authority (KSDA), and Junior Training Schools (JTSs) located throughout the state, " he remarked.

While releasing the Budget for 2026, 27, Siddaramaiah mentioned that the advent of the new scheme is to support the growth of the workforce by teaching skills that are in demand by the industry and by making the training system responsive to the changing needs of business.

Upgrading ITIs and industry-linked training

Under the Centre's PM SETU scheme, the state plans to upgrade government ITIs through a hub-and-spoke cluster model in collaboration with the central government and industry partners. Two such clusters will be taken up in 2026-27 at a unit cost of Rs 241 crore.

The government also announced that Schneider Electric Youth Impact Centres will be set up in Mysuru and Kalaburagi at a cost of Rs 16 crore each. The centres are expected to train and facilitate employment for about 2,000 students every year.

To encourage greater participation of women in technical education, the government said female ITI trainees will receive an annual tuition fee waiver of Rs 1,200. Additionally, ITI students will be taught two extra subjects and will be awarded Pre-University certificates, enabling them to pursue higher education alongside vocational training.

New skilling infrastructure and innovation initiatives

A Technology Centre in Precision Tool Engineering will be established at GTTC-MSDC in Koppal in collaboration with Aequs Toy Cluster Industry, with a total project cost of Rs 20 crore, including a Rs 10 crore grant from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB).

The government will also create a State Challenge Fund with an initial corpus of Rs 1 crore to support demand-driven skill development at the district level and address local workforce needs.

Further, the state will set up the Karnataka Skill Intelligence and Strategy Unit (KSISU) under KSDA in collaboration with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM). The unit will work on labour market intelligence and develop global skill partnerships with select countries and institutions.

All existing skill development schemes and services will also be integrated through a Unified Skill Development Portal, to be developed with an outlay of Rs 2 crore.

Focus on youth employment and social sectors

The government said Rs 913 crore has been disbursed under the Yuva Nidhi scheme as unemployment allowance to 3.08 lakh beneficiaries through direct benefit transfers.

So far, 80,086 candidates have been trained under various departmental programmes, while the CMKKY 2.0 scheme has been launched to boost employability and entrepreneurship among youth.

In addition, 11 mega job fairs organised by the government saw participation from 1.16 lakh candidates and 1,946 employers. Of these, 19,863 candidates have been selected, while the appointment process for 35,983 candidates is underway.

The budget also announced care entrepreneurship training for women self-help groups, aimed at meeting the rising demand for elderly care and postnatal care services in rural areas.

Marking 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers, state will provide agricultural skill development training to 5,000 women farmers to promote sustainable rural livelihoods.

Additionally, Rs 7 crore has been allocated to conduct surveys, issue identity cards and vending certificates, and establish Town Vending Committees to support the economic and social empowerment of street vendors.