India vs Bangladesh 1st Test: Captain Rohit Sharma ruled out with injury, Abhimanyu Easwaran set to replace him

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India captain Rohit Sharma was on Sunday, December 11 ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh, starting here on Wednesday, December 14 due to a thumb injury.

Rohit had hurt his left thumb while fielding in the second ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur on December 7.

“India captain Rohit Sharma met with a specialist in Mumbai for his left thumb injury, which he sustained during the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh. He has been advised appropriate management for this injury and will not be available for the first Test against Bangladesh,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“The BCCI Medical Team will take a call on his availability for the second and final Test at a later stage. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Abhimanyu Easwaran as his replacement for the first Test.” Pacer Navdeep Saini and uncapped Saurabh Kumar were named as replacements for injured Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja.

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat was also added to the Indian squad.

India’s updated squad for Bangladesh Tests: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat.

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Streamline crowd management at Sabarimala following increase in devotees: HC tells officials

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With an increase in footfall at the famed Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala during the ongoing pilgrimage season, the Kerala High Court on Sunday issued a slew of directions to the police and temple authorities regarding crowd management and control of vehicular traffic to ensure smooth ‘darshan’ for pilgrims.

In the absence of COVID-19 restrictions, unlike the previous two years, devotees have turned up in huge numbers this year at Sabarimala in the Pathanamthitta district of the state for the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage which began on November 17.

The increase in footfall also resulted in crowd management and traffic control issues, especially on Saturday when close to one lakh bookings were made via the virtual queue system and around 90,000 devotees arrived for ‘darshan’, the high court noted in its special sitting held during the day.

A few police personnel on duty sustained minor injuries due to issues in crowd management, the court was told.

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In view of these developments, the previous day and the fact that virtual queue bookings were above one lakh for Monday, a bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar held a special sitting and directed the District Collector and the District Police Chief of Pathanamthitta to evolve a crowd management plan when the expected footfall is above 75,000 per day.

The plan would be evolved as per the virtual queue bookings and in consultation with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, the bench said.

It also said that whether the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala Sannidhanam, which is open for 18 hours a day, can remain open for an extra 30 minutes or one hour was for the TDB to consider in consultation with the tantri of Sabarimala.

Regarding the management of vehicular traffic on the routes to Sabarimala, the court directed the District Police Chief to arrange to patrol on motorcycles when the movement of vehicles is blocked for long periods.

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“In case the movement of vehicles is blocked for a considerably long period, the Travancore Devaswom Board shall make necessary arrangements for providing ‘chukkuvellam’ (water) and biscuits to pilgrims in such vehicles,” it said.

It further directed that when parking grounds at Nilakkal in Pathanamthitta reaches the maximum capacity, entry of vehicles has to be regulated appropriately by the police.

“The restrictions imposed on the parking of vehicles at Nilakkal parking grounds shall be made known to the pilgrims, through the public address systems at edathavalams,” the bench said. Edathavalams are halting points for pilgrims.

The TDB was also directed to ensure that the parking contractor engages sufficient staff to ensure proper parking of vehicles.

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The court’s directions came on three separate pleas initiated by it on its own with one regarding the management of the virtual queue system and the other two based on individual complaints on restrictions on the entry of vehicles from Nilakkal to Pamba and difficulties faced by pilgrims at Nilakkal and Pamba in the absence of queue system for the passengers boarding KSRTC buses.

All three were taken up in the special sitting in view of the crowd management issues faced on Saturday at the shrine.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition alleged that the Left government completely failed to be prepared for the huge footfall expected this year at Sabarimala.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan alleged that the state government and the TDB failed to realise that number of pilgrims would increase post-COVID.

He said that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the ministers concerned should visit Sabarimala to take stock of the situation and issue necessary directions.

Satheesan also suggested that a responsible minister be given full control over what is happening at the temple till the pilgrimage season gets over.

The 41-day Mandala puja festival will conclude on December 27.

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Thereafter, the temple will be opened again on December 30 for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage, which will end on January 14, 2023.

The shrine will be closed on January 20, 2023, concluding the pilgrimage season.

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RBI shortlists 7 global consultancy firms to use AI, ML to improve regulatory supervision

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Reserve Bank has shortlisted seven global consultancy firms, including Pricewaterhouse Coopers, McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group (India), to use artificial intelligence and machine learning for supervisory functions.

The RBI is looking to extensively use advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse its huge database and improve regulatory supervision over banks and NBFCs. For this purpose, the central bank plans to hire external experts.

In September this year, the RBI invited expressions of interest (EoI) for engaging consultants for use of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning for generating supervisory inputs.

Based on the scrutiny/evaluation set out in the EOI document, the central bank has shortlisted seven applicants for participating in the request for proposal process (RFP) for the selection of consultant(s), according to an RBI document.

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The seven firms are Accenture Solutions Private Limited; Boston Consulting Group (India) Pvt Ltd; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP; Ernst and Young LLP; KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP; McKinsey and Company; and Pricewaterhouse Coopers Pvt Ltd.

While the RBI is already using AI and ML in supervisory processes, it now intends to upscale it to ensure that the benefits of advanced analytics can accrue to the Department of Supervision in the central bank.

The Department of Supervision has been developing and using linear and a few machine-learnt models for supervisory examinations.

The interest now is to explore the data to identify its attributes that can be leveraged to generate new and improved supervisory inputs, said the EoI issued in September.

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The supervisory jurisdiction of the RBI extends over banks, urban cooperative banks, NBFCs, payment banks, small finance banks, local area banks, credit information companies and select all Indian financial institutions.

It undertakes supervision of these entities with the objective of assessing their financial soundness, solvency, asset quality, governance framework, liquidity, and operational viability to protect depositors’ interests and financial stability.

The RBI undertakes continuous supervision of SEs with the help of on-site inspections and off-site monitoring, the EoI said.

Across the world, regulatory and supervisory authorities are using machine learning techniques (commonly referred to as ‘suptech’ and ‘regtech’) for assisting supervisory and regulatory activities, it added.

Most of these techniques are still exploratory, however, they are rapidly gaining popularity and scale.

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On the data collection side, AI and ML technologies are used for real-time data reporting, effective data management and dissemination.

For data analytics, these are being used for monitoring supervised firm-specific risks, including liquidity risks, market risks, credit exposures and concentration risks; misconduct analysis; and mis-selling of products.

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Steve Smith weighs in on David Warner’s lifetime captaincy ban imposed by Cricket Australia

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith has termed David Warner’s lifetime leadership ban as “fundamentally wrong” and hopes that the star opener regains his form after a week of “distraction” that saw him giving up on his captaincy ambitions for good.

Warner on Wednesday, December 7 withdrew the bid to overturn his lifetime captaincy ban, saying the review panel wanted him to go through “public lynching” and he is not prepared to let his family be the “washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry”.

Warner and Smith were both handed a year-long ban after Cameron Bancroft was caught applying sandpaper to the ball during a Test match in South Africa in 2018.

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While Smith was banned from holding a leadership position in Australian cricket for two years, Warner was banned for life. Bancroft was banned from captaincy for 12 months.

“From my point of view, banning for life from leadership is just fundamentally wrong,” said Smith, who led Australia in the absence of an injured Pat Cummins and guided the team to a 419-run victory against West Indies.

“David served his time like I did. For us, we know he’s a leader around the group, and on and off the field he’s doing a tremendous job.

“It’s been a difficult one for him, it’s been a difficult week. It has been more of a distraction for Davey, no doubt, going through that himself.

“David has said he’s done and dusted and get on with it. He’s got our full support. Hopefully he can have a really big series for us against South Africa with the bat.” Warner is enduring a lean patch in the longest format with his last four scores, reading 21 and 28 (second Test in Adelaide) and 5 and 48 (first Test in Perth).

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Over the last two years, Warner has averaged just 28.12 without a century.

The left-handed opener is due to play his 100th Test against South Africa in Melbourne at the end of the month but his lack of form has put his place in jeopardy for the upcoming tours of India and England.

“Davey’s a once-in-a-generation player, he’s arguably the best-ever opener for Australia. The way he’s able to put pressure on bowlers from the outset helps everyone down the order as well,” Smith said.

“He’s been an incredible player for a long period of time, his record suggest that. There’s no reason why he can’t have a big series for us coming this week as well. He’s batting nicely.

“He hasn’t had a great deal of luck lately either, it seems like every time he gets an inside edge, it goes onto the stumps. A lot of the time when you’re scoring runs you need some luck.

“For me it’s in his body language the way he goes out there – he’s really positive and just in a good frame of mind. Particularly yesterday when he went out to bat he was in a good frame of mind, the way his feet were moving was really sharp,” he added.

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G20 Finance Track to kickstart from Tuesday; infra development, sustainable finance among agenda

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The first Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru during December 13-15.

This meeting, which will mark the start of talks on the ‘Finance Track’ agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency, will be hosted jointly by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India.

The G20 Finance Track, led by Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G20 countries, focuses on economic and financial issues, an official release said.

It provides an effective forum for global economic discourse and policy coordination, it said, the first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting will be held during February 23-25, 2023 in Bengaluru.

The upcoming meeting of G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies will be co-chaired by Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Dr Michael D. Patra, Deputy Governor of RBI.

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Their counterparts from G20 member countries, and several other countries and international organisations invited by India, will participate in the two-day meeting.

According to the release, the G20 Finance Track discusses key issues of relevance for the global economy, encompassing the global economic outlook, the international financial architecture, infrastructure development and financing, sustainable finance, global health, international taxation and financial sector issues, including financial inclusion.

In the Bengaluru meeting, discussions will focus on the agenda for the Finance Track under the Indian G20 Presidency.

This includes reorienting international financial institutions to meet the shared global challenges of the 21st century, financing cities of tomorrow, managing global debt vulnerabilities, advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains, financing for climate action and SDGs, a globally coordinated approach to unbacked crypto assets and advancing the international taxation agenda.

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On the sidelines of the meeting, a panel discussion will be held on ‘Strengthening Multilateral Development Banks to Address Shared Global Challenges of the 21st Century’. A seminar on the ‘Role of Central Banks in Green Financing’ will also be held.

Approximately 40 meetings of the Finance Track will be held in several locations in India, which include meetings of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. The discussions in the G20 Finance Track will ultimately be reflected in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration.

India has assumed the G20 presidency at a time of multiple challenges, which include scarring from the COVID-19 pandemic, sharpened geopolitical tensions, rising food and energy security concerns, growing debt distress, inflationary pressures and monetary tightening, among others, it said, stressing that a key role of the G20 is to provide guidance in dealing with such challenges.

During India’s G20 presidency, it said, supporting the countries most in need and reflecting the concerns and aspirations of developing countries will be at the forefront of the G20’s efforts.

The Finance Ministry and the RBI will steer the G20 Finance Track agenda in an inclusive manner aimed at addressing the global economic needs of today as well as preparing for a better tomorrow, it added.

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From Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Maharashtra to Qutub archaeological park in Delhi, India will showcase its centuries-old architectural heritage to G20 delegates by hosting excursions and gala dinners at many of the ASI sites, starting mid-December, official sources said.

The first meeting of the G20 was held in the first week of December in Udaipur when the G20 Sherpa met. Besides, experiencing the rich cultural heritage and hospitality of Rajasthan, delegates were also taken on a half-day excursion to the Kumbhalgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, officials said.

The event lined up at a centrally-protected site, immediately after the Sherpa meet in Udaipur, is a half-day excursion for delegates to Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra from December 12-15, he said.

And, tentatively, the shortlisted monuments for delegation-level visit also include Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple in Karnataka, and a gala dinner, the source said, adding, the itinerary for the December-March period only is known so far.

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There are a total of 3,693 heritage sites in India protected under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which falls within the purview of the Union Ministry of Culture.

The planned G20 meetings are to be hosted not just in big metros but even in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and the ASI too is gearing up to put its best foot forward.

G20 delegates will get to see the architectural and cultural diversity of India from all corners of the country, and from January 23-24, they will immerse themselves in heritage experience in Gujarat, they said.

Around January 28, a half-day visit will be organised for delegates to Charminar and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.

From January 31-February 2, they will be hosted at the famous Shore Temple of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu.

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In early February, a half-day excursion has been planned for the delegates to Mandore Fort and Mandore Garden in Rajasthan.

Around February 13-15, many delegates will also visit Lucknow to see the famed Imambara and the Residency.

Cultural sites are playing an important role during India’s Presidency of the G20, as seen in Udaipur too, and the ASI had lit up its 100 iconic sites across India from December 1-7, bearing the G20 logo to mark the occasion when India assumed the chair of the influential bloc.

Later that month, the itinerary also mentions Kerala visit from March 22-24, and sites include Matthancherry Palace, St Francis Church in Kochi, and again at Elephanta Caves from March 28-30, followed by a Gujarat excursion again from March 30-April 1, sources said.

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FIFA World Cup 2022: With Mbappe shackled France’s old guard rose to keep WC dream alive in QF win

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As Kylian Mbappe was being muzzled by the England defence, it was France’s old guard who took the defending champions through to the World Cup semi-finals in a nerve-racking 2-1 victory on Saturday, December 10.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, midfielder Antoine Griezmann and striker Olivier Giroud were all influential in a thrilling match, playing their roles close to perfection to see off an England team who were left thinking they deserved better.

Lloris, identified as the weak link by British media, pulled off superb saves to deny his Tottenham Hotspur team mate Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham either side of the interval.

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The 35-year-old Lloris was celebrating a record 143rd cap and just like in 2018, he showed he was reliable in the big moments.

Against one of the top midfields in the tournament, France needed Griezmann to find the right balance between defence and attack and the Atletico Madrid player excelled.

His relentless harassment broke England’s fast transitions in the first half and his calm under pressure gave Les Bleus much-needed breathing space at times.

Griezmann capped his performance with two assists, the first for Aurelien Tchouameni’s first-half thunderbolt, and the second for Giroud’s 78th-minute winner.

Griezmann has now set up 28 France goals, more than any other player, on his record 72nd consecutive appearance.

The second goal came as Marcus Thuram was about to replace Giroud, but he was left to jump into coach Didier Deschamps’s arms to celebrate his team mate’s winning header.

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Giroud, who owes his place in the starting lineup to Karim Benzema being ruled out injured before the tournament, seized his chance, scoring four goals in Qatar after failing to manage a shot on target in Russia four years ago and being relegated to the bench at the European Championship.

Mbappe had stolen the limelight from him in France’s 3-1 win over Poland, adding a spectacular late double to Giroud’s opener, but on Saturday the 23-year-old happily took a back seat and was seen slapping his team mate’s face in sheer excitement after the decisive goal.

It was, possibly, the biggest takeaway from France’s victory. They can win when Mbappe does not shine or score, and his reaction to Giroud’s goal proved Deschamps’s point when he said he did not need to manage the Paris St Germain forward’s ego.

France next face Morocco, with Mbappe set to battle it out with club team mate and great friend Achraf Hakimi, as Les Bleus look to become the first team to retain their World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.

No team have reached two consecutive finals since Brazil in 2002.

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FIFA World Cup 2022: 9,000 fans from Kolkata fly to Qatar for semifinals, more to travel ahead of WC final

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The euphoria surrounding this year’s FIFA World Cup has been “unprecedented” in football-mad Kolkata, with nearly 9,000 fans having already travelled to Qatar to witness the showpiece event and many more slated to arrive in the next few days, officials said.

People are still making queries regarding ticket and accommodation availability and travel packages for Qatar, days ahead of the semi-finals and the final next week, they said.

“Around 10,000-12,000 football fans have travelled to Qatar from eastern India so far, including close to 9,000 people from Kolkata. People are still very keen to make it to the semis and the final, and we expect at least another 1,500 Kolkatans to visit the Arab country,” Anil Punjabi, eastern region head of Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI), told PTI.

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Though the craze for the business end of the world cup has died down to an extent following the exit of giants such as Brazil and Portugal, Argentina’s advance to the semi-finals is reason enough for many of Kolkata’s football enthusiasts to pack their bags for Qatar.

“It’s all about Messi this time as it will be his last world cup. I had made up my mind months ago that if Argentina progresses to the semis, I will head to Qatar. Who knows, I might actually see Messi lifting the coveted trophy, which would be an unreal experience,” Subham Mitra, a resident of Lake Gardens, said.

Mitra said he will depart for Doha (Qatar capital) in the early hours of Monday. The average return fare to Doha costs around Rs 55,000-60,000 at present.

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Argentina will take on Croatia in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

“Kolkata’s football frenzy for this edition of the world cup has been unprecedented because of two main factors — direct flights to Qatar, and the urge to travel more post the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during major global events,” Punjabi said.

The senior TAFI official also said Qatar will turn into a popular travel destination for people of east India, courtesy of the world cup.

“Qatar wasn’t among the sought-after tourist spots before the mega event, but the sporting spectacle has added great value to the place and we expect that more and more people will add it to their must-visit list,” Punjabi added.

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Watch | Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo walks off the pitch in tears after shock FIFA World Cup 2022 exit

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Cristiano Ronaldo playing in what is expected to be his final FIFA World Cup tournament, left the field in tears after Portugal’s shock exit following their 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals at the Al Thumama Stadium, Qatar on Saturday, December 10.

The 37-year-old Portuguese legend came on for his 196th international appearance but failed to impact the scoreline after Morocco had taken the lead in the 42nd minute through Youssef En-Nesyri.

This could be Ronaldo’s final World Cup bow having first made his debut at the tournament in the 2006 edition. He even became the first man to score at five World Cups in Qatar when he scored the opening goal from the penalty spot in Portugal’s 3-2 win over Ghana in their tournament opener.

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His 196th appearance also ties the record for most number of international games, a record set by Kuwait international Bader Al-Mutawa.

However, it can be argued that the Portuguese legend’s best days are behind him, having scored just once in this edition and being dropped to the bench for the knockout stage.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos will feel his decision was justified as Ronaldo bows out of the competition after failing to score in all eight of his knockout stage appearances at the World Cup, going 570 minutes and 27 shots without a goal.

Ronaldo also exits the most prestigious stage in world football with eight goals at the tournament, just one shy of Eusebio’s all-time record of nine goals with Portugal.

He also finds his club future in uncertainty at the moment, having mutually terminated his contract with Manchester United following an explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan on the eve of the World Cup in Qatar.

This explains the pain that Ronaldo probably felt as he was seen leaving the field in tears without even waiting to greet any of the Morocco players following his team’s loss.

Watch Ronaldo’s tearful exit from the World Cup stage below:

pic.twitter.com/MKWK432uNd

— follow @mh_1902 (@Madrid1902sii) December 10, 2022

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Class 10, 12 exam date sheets on social media fake, says CBSE; to announce schedule soon

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday said purported date sheets for class 10 and 12 exams doing the rounds on social media are fake.

The board is yet to announce the exam date sheets, and officials said it will be done soon.

“The multiple versions of datesheets doing the round are fake. The exam schedule will soon be announced and the students and parents should wait for official information,” a senior board official said.

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The board had earlier announced it will conduct theory examinations for classes 10 and 12 for the academic year from February 15, 2023.

“The practical examinations will begin from January 1 and schools have been directed to complete the syllabus for these till then. The practical examinations for Class 12 will only be conducted by external examiners appointed by the board, while for Class 10, these will be conducted by internal examiners,” the official explained.

The board has also released the subject-wise CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 sample papers along with the marking schemes for all the subjects.

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