Govt in damage control over NEET leak, CBSE evaluation row Facing mounting criticism over the NEET paper leak and anomalies in CBSE Class XII answer-sheet evaluation, the government on Thursday sought to signal a more serious and coordinated response, with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan publicly owning responsibility for the controversies. Parallelly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting attended by the Education Minister, Communication Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and top officials, where measures were discussed to ensure that paper leaks do not take place in the NEET re-examination on June 21. A proposal to involve the Indian Air Force in transporting question papers for enhanced security was also discussed in the meeting. “We are taking a ‘whole of government’ approach to ensure the integrity of the examination process, in which all departments are involved. The examination papers were transported by the Postal Department, and the possibility of the Air Force being used for transporting papers was discussed,” Dharmendra Pradhan told a TV channel. The long wait for the chair: Inside DKS and Siddaramaiah’s political journeys From education to politics now. Socialist stalwart Siddaramaiah steps down as Karnataka Chief Minister after long political career The meeting with the Congress high command on May 27 turned out to be the moment D.K. Shivakumar had long waited for. By May 28, Friday, Shivakumar and then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah jointly announced to the world that the latter had tendered his resignation, ending months of speculation over Karnataka’s most closely watched power equation. Earlier in the day, the two leaders shared breakfast and exchanged warm hugs — visuals carefully crafted to signal a smooth handover rather than a bitter succession battle. Born Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar on May 15, 1962, in Kanakapura to a well-to-do family, the Vokkaliga strongman first entered politics as a student activist in the 1980s. Though he lost his debut Assembly election to heavyweight H.D. Deve Gowda in 1985, Shivakumar bounced back quickly, registering the first of what would become eight consecutive Assembly victories at the age of 27 from the erstwhile Sathanur constituency. H-1B returnees face cautious AI-led job market in India, say experts Turning to the job market now. Every time the US and its immigration authorities tighten visa procedures, apprehensions rise among scores of techies on H-1B and other employment visas, with many calls for them to return to India and tap opportunities in the growing economy. However, tech executives and HR specialists caution that H-1B returnees are now facing a cautious Indian tech job market amid an AI-led shift. Even as the number of Indian tech professionals returning from the US rises, India’s current hiring environment may not be ideal for large-scale absorption of H-1B talent, especially in traditional IT services and product roles, experts say. Kamal Karanth, Co-founder of specialist staffing firm Xpheno, says that considering the current dynamics and trends of active demand in the Indian job market, this is definitely not the best of times for US-settled H-1B talent to return to India. Vi launches equality pitch after Airtel Priority backlash And finally, on the telecom front. Following criticism of Bharti Airtel’s launch of Priority Postpaid, Vodafone Idea, or Vi, has launched a social media campaign promising equal network access to all its users. Stating that customer-first monetisation is paramount for India’s digital growth, Vi stressed the need to be transparent and “most of all remain inclusive.” The debt-ridden firm has started an online campaign encouraging people to “change to Vi,” accompanied by slogans like “No more, no less but equal network to all” and “Strong Network. Sabka Haq.” The telecom company said that everyone is a priority with Vi, which has added over 2,20,000 new towers, expanded Vi 5G in over 110 cities, and introduced AI-based self-optimizing network technology that intelligently adapts to help deliver stronger connectivity — even in crowded areas. “A stronger network should feel strong for everyone, everywhere,” said the Vi poster. Earlier this week, Vi had responded to the government’s call for submissions regarding network slicing’s impact on net neutrality by urging the government to hold consultations. (Research and VO: Siddharth Mathew Cherian)
