Hindustan Times
์ง๋ณด ์ฑํฅ
๊ธฐํ
โNo ID, no entryโ: Govt on underage drinking
Karnataka's home minister mandates age verification at liquor establishments to curb underage drinking, citing a study on youth health risks.
๐ฎ๐ณ ์ธ๋ ยท "VERIFICATION" ยท ์ด 48๊ฑด
ํํฐ ๋ณด๊ธฐํ์ฌ ์ง์
50.0
0 = ๋ถ์ ์ฐ์ธ
50 = ์ค๋ฆฝ
100 = ๊ธ์ ์ฐ์ธ
์ต๊ทผ 7์ผ ๊ธฐ์ค 5,145๊ฑด์ ๋ถ์ํ ๊ฒฐ๊ณผ, ๋ด์ค ์ฌ๋ฆฌ์ง์๋ 50.0(๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค. ๊ธ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)ยท์ค๋ฆฝ 5,145๊ฑด(100.0%)ยท๋ถ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)์ด๋ฉฐ, ์ค๋ฆฝ ๋น์ค์ด ๋๋ ทํ๊ฒ ๋์ต๋๋ค. ์ฑํฅ ์ง์๋ ์ข ํฉ 11.9(์ค๋ ๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค.
Karnataka's home minister mandates age verification at liquor establishments to curb underage drinking, citing a study on youth health risks.
The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) has released the first mock seat allocation for the 2026 counselling process, giving engineering aspirants an early indication of the institutes and courses they may secure based on their current choices and rank positions.Candidates who have registered for JoSAA Counselling 2026 and filled in their programme and institute preferences can now check their provisional allotment through the official JoSAA portal.The mock allocation is designed to help students understand their likely admission prospects and make informed changes to their choices before the actual seat allocation rounds begin.What Is the JoSAA Mock Seat Allocation?The first mock seat allocation is a provisional exercise conducted by JoSAA before the commencement of the official counselling rounds.The allocation has been prepared using the choices submitted by candidates up to 8 PM on 7 June 2026. It reflects the seat a candidate could potentially receive if the counselling process were to conclude based on the current preference order and rank position.Importantly, the mock allocation is not the final seat allotment. Candidates can still modify, reorder, add or remove choices before the counselling deadline.How to Check JoSAA First Mock Seat Allocation 2026Candidates can follow these steps to view their provisional allotment:Step 1Visit the official JoSAA website.Step 2Click on the link for the First Mock Seat Allocation 2026.Step 3Log in using your application credentials.Step 4Submit the required details.Step 5View your provisional seat allocation status.Step 6Download and save the allotment details for future reference.Step 7Take a printout if required.Why the Mock Allocation Is ImportantThe mock seat allocation serves as a valuable planning tool for candidates.By reviewing the provisional allotment, students can assess whether their preferred colleges and branches are within reach. If they are dissatisfied with the outcome, they can revise their choices strategically before the final seat allocation rounds.This process often helps candidates improve their chances of securing a more desirable institute or academic programme.JoSAA 2026 First Round Seat Allotment DateJoSAA is scheduled to announce the first round of seat allocation on 13 June 2026.Candidates who are allotted seats in the first round will be required to complete several admission-related formalities, including:Online reportingDocument uploadVerification processSeat acceptance proceduresAdmission fee paymentThe deadline for fee payment in the first round is 26 June 2026.JoSAA Counselling 2026: Participating InstitutesThe JoSAA counselling process will facilitate admissions to 138 premier technical institutions across India for the 2026-27 academic session.These include:23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur26 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)56 Other Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs)The counselling process remains one of the largest and most important admission exercises for engineering aspirants in the country.Reservation Categories in JoSAA CounsellingSeats across participating institutions are allocated under various reservation categories, including:Open CategoryGEN-EWS (Economically Weaker Sections)OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes โ Non-Creamy Layer)Scheduled Castes (SC)Scheduled Tribes (ST)Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categoriesCandidates are advised to carefully review category-specific eligibility and seat availability during the counselling process.JEE Main and JEE Advanced Ranks Used for AdmissionsJoSAA uses different entrance examination ranks depending on the participating institution.Admissions to IITs and IISc BengaluruAdmissions are based on ranks secured in JEE Advanced 2026.Admissions to NITs, IIITs and GFTIsAdmissions are based on ranks obtained in JEE Main 2026.Candidates must ensure that their rank details and category information are correctly reflected in the counselling portal.What Should Candidates Do Next?Students should carefully review their first mock allocation and compare it with their desired institute and branch preferences.If necessary, they can modify their choices before the final counselling rounds begin. With the first round of seat allocation scheduled for 13 June, aspirants now have a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their choices and maximise their chances of securing admission to their preferred engineering institute.
The system remained under continuous monitoring by dedicated cybersecurity teams throughout the operational period to prevent malicious traffic and cyber threats, says CBSE
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the stand of the Centre and the CBSE on a petition by Congress party's student wing seeking an independent inquiry into the alleged large-scale irregularities in the on-screen marking (OSM) system for Class 12 exams.Issuing notice on a PIL petition by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), a vacation bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain asked the central government and CBSE to file their responses and listed the matter for hearing on June 12.Also read: IIT panel approves new CBSE portal for re-evaluation after security reviewThe petitioner submitted that the CBSE closed the portal for verifying and revaluing answer sheets last night and requested a direction to keep it open for affected students for one month.Counsel for CBSE, advocate M A Niyaz, submitted that the authorities extended the deadline for closing the portal from time to time, and the education board was duly addressing the grievances of aggrieved students. He also objected to the maintainability of NSUI to file the PIL, emphasising that it was a student wing of a political party. "We don't want education to be politicised like this," the counsel submitted.The NSUI counsel said that it filed the PIL on behalf of minors and that association with a political party was not a disqualification.What is OSM and what went wrongCBSE introduced on-screen marking for the evaluation of Class 12 answer books beginning with the 2026 examination cycle, describing it as part of its continuous effort to enhance efficiency and transparency. Under the system, physical exam papers are scanned, digitally masked to hide students' identities, and evaluated by teachers on a computer screen.However, the rollout has run into significant controversy. Thousands of students across the country reported issues including blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched answer sheets, incomplete uploads and unexpectedly low marks following the declaration of Class 12 results.CBSE declared the Class 12 results on May 13, with the overall pass percentage dropping to 85.20%, down from 88.39% last year. Reports also indicated a decline in the number of students scoring 90% and above.What NSUI is seekingThe PIL, filed through NSUI president Vinod Jhakhar and advocate Rishav Ranjan, seeks a direction to reopen the verification portal for one month, permit manual rechecking and physical verification of answer sheets in disputed cases, and order an independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities. It also seeks direct oversight by the Union Government and calls for proper safeguards and guidelines to be framed for future digital evaluation systems.Also read: Who is Dharmendra Pradhan? All about Education minister facing heat in CJP protest amid NEET, CBSE controversyNSUI has argued that the lack of a robust corrective mechanism heightens the prejudice to students because the academic calendar continues to move forward while the disputes remain unresolved.The Delhi Government School Teachers' Association (GSTA) had urged CBSE to hold implementation of the OSM system for the 2026 evaluation cycle, citing concerns that the majority of teachers had not been provided with structured and certified training for the digital system. The association had suggested the system be run only as a pilot on a limited scale during the 2026 session.With inputs from PTI
The CBSE announced that over 1.6 lakh students successfully submitted applications through its verification and re-evaluation portal between June 2 and June 7, 2026, covering more than 3.8 lakh answer books. The process followed concerns over the boardโs new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system and was conducted under the supervision of government agencies and IIT experts. CBSE said the portal remained operational despite cyber threats and clarified that the โRoll Number Not Foundโ message applied only to ineligible candidates.
Travellers visiting Europe can now use a new online tool under the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) to check how many days they are still allowed to stay in participating European countries.The tool is offered for non-EU nationals travelling for short stays and helps visitors track their remaining authorised stay under Europe's immigration rules. It also indicates whether a planned entry into an EES country would be permitted.What is the EES online tool?The EES online tool is an authorised stay verification service available on the European Union's EES website. It allows travellers to calculate the number of days they can still spend in countries covered by the Entry/Exit System.When users submit their details, the system provides an "OK" or "not OK" response regarding their eligibility to enter. It also shows how many days of authorised stay remain.The same service is also available through equipment installed at some external border crossing points.What information do travellers need?To use the tool, travellers must provide:The European country they are visiting or plan to visitTheir travel document type, such as a passportPassport numberThe three-letter code of the country that issued the passportDepending on the purpose of the check, travellers may also need to enter:Their intended date of arrivalTheir intended date of departureBoth arrival and departure dates for future travel plansHow does the calculation work?The tool uses information recorded under the Entry/Exit System to determine the number of days a traveller is authorised to remain in participating European countries.Travellers who are planning a future trip can use the calculator to estimate how long they will be allowed to stay. Those already in Europe can check how many days remain before they must leave.The system can also calculate how many authorised days would remain after a planned trip ends.Key points travellers should knowThe European Union has stated that the remaining authorised stay shown by the tool does not include any time spent in the Schengen area that began before April 10, 2026, when the EES became fully operational.The EU has also stated that until October 6, 2026, the "OK" response may not always be reliable for some travellers holding single-entry or double-entry visas if previous visa use between October 12, 2025, and April 9, 2026, was not recorded in the EES.Who can use the tool?The authorised stay verification tool is intended for non-EU nationals travelling to EES-participating countries for short stays.It does not apply to people covered by EU free movement rules, including certain family members of EU citizens and individuals holding specific residence documents.The online calculator gives travellers a quick way to verify their remaining stay period before travelling or while already in Europe. By checking their status in advance, visitors can better plan their trips and reduce the risk of overstaying under the EU's new Entry/Exit System.
The previous deadline of June 6 was extended to June 7 by the board after several students flagged issues in accessing answer books and applying for verification and re-evaluation
Thousands of CBSE Class 12 students are demanding grace marks and fee waivers for verification and re-evaluation. They cite technical glitches in the new On-Screen Marking system, leading to low scores and delayed answer sheet access, jeopardizing admissions. Students argue they shouldn't pay for errors originating from the evaluation process itself, impacting their future prospects.
US President Donald Trump has spent years attacking his predecessor Barack Obama for what he called a giveaway to Iran. The image of "pallets of cash" became one of his favorite political talking points, a symbol of what he portrayed as weakness in dealing with Tehran.Yet the irony of the current moment is becoming harder to ignore. As negotiations to end the latest US-Iran confrontation stall, Iran is demanding access to billions of dollars in frozen assets, and the success of any deal may depend on whether Trump agrees to some form of financial relief. The president who built his Iran policy around rejecting Obama's approach may now find himself confronting the same reality that faced previous administrations -- diplomacy with Iran often comes with a price tag.Pay $12 billion now, and $12 billion laterAn indication of how central money has become to the negotiations came from Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in an exclusive interview with CNN. According to Rezaei, the negotiations have reached a deadlock and the responsibility for breaking it lies squarely with Trump. He said Iran wants the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, with $12 billion to be made available immediately after an interim agreement is signed and another $12 billion at a later stage.Also Read | Iran says frozen funds key to progress in US talksRezaei termed the demand not a concession from Washington but as a test of American intentions. "If he wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump," he told CNN. "This is our own money, not America's money."The significance of the demand extends beyond the amount involved. By publicly linking the prospects of peace to the release of frozen assets, Iran has effectively made financial compensation the central political hurdle in the negotiations.Trump's Obama problemFor Trump, the issue is not as much financial as deeply political. CNN reported that Trump has repeatedly instructed his team that any agreement with Iran must be viewed as stronger than the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated by Obama. Equally important, he wants to avoid anything that resembles the controversial payments that became a focal point of Republican criticism a decade ago.Throughout his political career, Trump has portrayed the Obama administration's handling of Iran as evidence of weak leadership. Recently, he revived his criticism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, describing it as a horrible deal and insisting that any agreement he reaches will be far better. That political history now threatens to constrain his negotiating options. A deal that includes billions of dollars flowing to Iran could invite immediate comparisons with the very agreement he spent years denouncing.Also Read | Iran retains about 22% of missile stockpile, says TrumpWhat Obama actually didThe comparison is unavoidable because financial relief was also a major feature of the Obama-era approach. The JCPOA, finalized in 2015 after negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers, imposed strict limits on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement capped uranium enrichment, reduced centrifuge capacity and established what experts described as one of the most intrusive inspection regimes ever negotiated.The deal also coincided with the release of $1.7 billion to Iran, a figure that Trump and other critics frequently cited as evidence of appeasement. Critics argued that sanctions relief and financial compensation rewarded Iranian behaviour across the region.Supporters of the agreement took a different view. They argued that much of the money involved consisted of Iranian assets that had already belonged to Iran and that the deal successfully halted Tehran's progress toward a nuclear weapon while providing unprecedented transparency into its nuclear program.Former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who helped negotiate the agreement, told CNBC that the JCPOA's most important achievement was its extraordinary verification system. Arms control experts similarly maintain that the deal effectively constrained Iran's nuclear ambitions before it unraveled.Why the current situation is more difficultThe irony for Trump is that negotiations now are taking place under conditions far less favorable than those that existed in 2015. After the US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran gradually breached many of the agreement's restrictions. It expanded uranium enrichment, accumulated a much larger stockpile of nuclear material and scaled back some transparency measures.Many think that any new agreement must address a more advanced Iranian nuclear programme and a more complicated political environment. There is also the added challenge of rebuilding trust after years of mutual escalation. That reality means economic incentives have become even more important. Tehran is demanding tangible benefits upfront rather than promises of future relief. From Iran's perspective, accepting new restrictions without immediate financial gains would be politically difficult.Trump's search for a political workaroundTrump's advisers are acutely aware of the political risks. According to CNN, administration officials are exploring mechanisms that would allow Iran to receive financial relief without creating the appearance of a direct US payment. One possibility involves third countries such as Qatar releasing funds. Another would permit access to frozen assets while restricting their use to humanitarian purchases such as food, medicine and agricultural goods. There have also been discussions about creating reconstruction funds financed largely by Gulf states rather than the United States.These proposals reflect an important reality. The debate is no longer about whether Iran should receive economic relief at some stage. It is increasingly about how that relief can be structured so that Trump can claim he has not repeated Obama's mistakes. In that sense, the dispute is becoming as much about political messaging as about financial policy.Leverage versus peaceThe White House remains reluctant to surrender what it views as one of its strongest bargaining tools. Trump has publicly insisted that the United States will retain control over frozen Iranian funds until Iran meets Washington's demands. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly emphasised that sanctions relief should follow compliance rather than precede it.The administration's concern is straightforward. Once funds are released, Washington loses a major source of leverage. That leverage could prove critical during the highly technical second phase of negotiations focused on Iran's nuclear program. Iran, however, sees the issue differently. For Tehran, immediate access to frozen assets is evidence that the United States is negotiating in good faith. Without such a gesture, Iranian leaders appear unwilling to commit themselves to a broader settlement. That difference in perspective has created the current impasse.The choice facing TrumpThe strategic dilemma confronting Trump is becoming increasingly clear. He can maintain a hard line and refuse any significant financial concession, preserving political consistency but risking the collapse of negotiations. Or he can accept some form of economic relief for Iran, potentially unlocking a broader peace agreement but exposing himself to accusations that he has embraced a version of the same approach he once condemned.Rezaei's comments to CNN show how central that decision has become. By presenting the release of $24 billion as a test of trust, Iran has effectively challenged Trump to choose between ideological purity and diplomatic pragmatism. For a president who built his Iran policy in opposition to Obama's legacy, that may be the most uncomfortable choice of all. If peace ultimately requires releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, Trump would be seen as eating his words when he had asked Iran for complete surrender.
The previous deadline of June 6 (midnight) has now been extended to June 7 (midnight), CBSE said.
Uttar Pradesh Police Sub-Inspector candidates can now download their admit cards for Document Verification and Physical Standard Test. Successful candidates from the March 2026 written exam can access their hall tickets on the UPPRPB website. The DV and PST are scheduled for June 15-16, 2026, across the state, filling over 4,500 vacancies.
CBSE has extended the deadline for Class 12 answer sheet verification and re-evaluation applications to June 7 due to portal access issues. This decision offers students more time to address concerns about scanned copies and evaluation discrepancies. The board previously opened its portal for students to report issues like missing pages or incorrect answer sheets.
The move comes after several students flagged issues in accessing answer books and applying for verification and re-evaluation on the CBSEโs post-result services portal.
โThere are indications that he may be hiding at a relative's residence. Several teams are carrying out searches and verification exercises. We are confident of tracing him soon,โ an NIA official said
The district achieves 97.68% voter mapping ahead of door-to-door verification drive
CBSEโs post-result grievance portal has received over 70,000 applications for verification and re-evaluation within days of launch, even as it faced repeated cyberattack attempts. The Board reported 7,314 verification and 63,119 re-evaluation requests. Despite a DDoS attack and millions of access requests, security systems including WAF and DDoS mitigation kept the portal functional. The facility supports Class 12 students reviewing scanned answer books under the new On-Screen Marking system and post-result process rollout framework structure.
Mumbai: It is India's fourth biggest company by revenue, but the managing director of precious metals trader Rajesh Exports (REL) apparently doesn't know how and from where it gets the biggest chunk of the revenue, show the findings of a regulatory investigation.In its investigation report, the Securities and Exchange Board of India observed allegedly unscrupulous activities by REL's promoters, such as accounting irregularities and siphoning off of company funds into personal accounts, and also pointed out lapses by its auditors. The regulator said the company and its auditors were non-cooperative."The acts of REL constitute a deliberate device, scheme and artifice to mislead and defraud investors dealing in the shares of REL by portraying an inflated and misleading picture of its operational scale, revenue and financial health," Sebi observed in its report.The company, eponymously named after its chairman Rajesh Mehta, is accused of committing an elaborate financial fraud that includes dressing-up of revenues of โน15.15 lakh crore over the years, personal gold trades covered up as corporate sales and phoney gold mine investments of โน1,035 crore, according to the interim report.REL denied the charges of misdeeds. In a press release Thursday, the company said the revenues stated in its financials were correct and that the confusion arose because of a mix-up between Ebitda and revenue numbers at Swiss refiner Valcambi SA, an indirect subsidiary.Sebi has not made any adverse observation with regard to earnings, the company said, claiming that the regulator has only observed suspicion with regard to revenues which was primarily because of confusion over the Valcambi numbers.Numbers don't add upIn fiscal 2025, REL reported consolidated revenue of โน4.23 lakh crore against a profit after tax of just โน95 crore, translating into a net margin of barely 0.02%. The year before, on โน2.8 lakh crore revenue, profit was โน336 crore.Experts who have studied the Sebi report and the company's annual reports say the numbers did not add up. The business appeared to be operating at margins that were not merely thin but structurally negligible, they said."It looks like a case of pass-through accounting. There is no value creation. It was 'flow of gold' being booked as revenue," said a leading auditor on the condition of anonymity.Sebi, which began the investigations in March 2024 following a shareholder complaint about suspected accounting malpractices, said it found that about 97-99% of REL's consolidated revenues were attributed to its overseas subsidiaries, principally Valcambi. But Valcambi's own accounts, audited by KPMG SA, recorded only processing fees that were about โน3,027 crore across five years.Valcambi refined gold on behalf of clients and never took ownership of the precious metal or recognised the value of gold as revenue in its books. Yet, Global Gold Refineries AG (GGR), the parent of Valcambi that had no independent operating business, recorded gross revenues running into hundreds of crores by including the gross value of gold that actually belonged to others, according to the Sebi report.Rajesh Exports, which owns GGR through a Singapore subsidiary, used those unaudited figures in its financial statements, significantly bumping up the company's revenue, it said.In its press release, REL said: "The core observation in the order is with regard to the misreporting of the revenues. This has emerged primarily due to confusion because Sebi has considered the Ebitda of Valcambi instead of revenue hence it has stated that there is a difference of about 97% in the revenue.""There is no reason for any listed entity to inflate revenue and maintain the earnings, this will only reduce the margins of the company, which would be adverse to the company," it said.Senior management in the darkThe senior management of REL told regulators that most of them were in the dark about the company's overseas operations and only the promoter, Rajesh Mehta, dealt with those activities."Valcambi SA does not have any gold mine on its own," managing director Suresh Gowda was quoted in the Sebi order as saying. "It refines the raw gold purchased by it from various entities, whose names I do not recollect, as these things are exclusively handled by Rajesh Mehta, chairman of REL. I have never interacted nor involved with any subsidiary/step-down subsidiary of REL, as these were exclusively taken care of by Rajesh Mehta," he told the investigators, as per the order.According to the report, REL booked โน11,487 crore in sales between 2021-22 and 2023-24 to Affluence Shares and Stocks, a broker that made up to 66% of the company's standalone revenue for that period. But Affluence, in formal depositions to the regulator, said it had not done any business with REL.Following the transaction trail, the investigators found out that the transactions were personal gold derivative trades executed by promoter Mehta using his own brokerage account and then recorded in the company's books as corporate sales, the order said.The investigators also found that Mehta used corporate funds. As per the Sebi observations, bank records show REL transferred โน338.90 crore directly into Mehta's personal accounts between April 2020 and September 2025.Unlike in the case of Nirav Modi or Gitanjali Gems, who are accused of bank fraud, Rajesh Exports doesn't appear to have borrowed big from banks or through sale of bonds, according to regulatory filings.The company's market cap was just over โน3,000 crore, as per Thursday's closing share price. LIC (10.8%) and Bridge India Fund (8.46%) are its major institutional shareholders."It is striking that, even at a peak market capitalisation of โน25,000 crore, the company did not hold any analyst calls, a basic expectation for a listed company of that scale," said Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of InGovern Research Services, a corporate governance advisory firm.The regulator in 2024 hired BDO India Services to investigate. But the forensic audit faced problems at almost every stage of the investigation. It was denied access to ERP systems and was not provided a complete journal dump, preventing independent verification of transactions recorded in the books, according to the regulatory report.And the company declined to share subsidiary-level records with the investigator, citing Swiss data protection laws, limiting auditors largely to reviewing financial statements prepared by the management itself rather than underlying evidence, it said.What's also come under the scanner was the conduct of statutory auditors for the last few years: CA PV Ramana Reddy, the proprietor at PV Ramana Reddy & Co, and CA PL Venkatadri, partner at BSD & Co.The company's FY24 and FY25 annual reports, filed with the stock exchanges, carry an unqualified opinion from BSD & Co, which concluded that the financial statements presented a "true and fair view" in line with Indian Accounting Standards.The company's FY24 Directors' Report noted that the statutory and secretarial auditors had made no qualifications, reservations or adverse remarks.The Sebi report said for over five months, the auditors sat on the regulator's request for missing documents and statements.Emails sent to both audit firms did not elicit any response.REL closed 5% lower at โน103.92 Thursday on the NSE. The shares are down from their peak of โน1,028.40 on February 6, 2023.
IRCTC has taken significant steps to combat ticket booking fraud by deactivating over three crore suspicious user IDs and placing another six crore under verification. To enhance food safety, the railway's catering arm has expanded its AI-based kitchen monitoring system, utilizing over 2,300 cameras to detect hygiene violations.
Gujarat Police detained 501 Bangladeshi nationals under Operation Delta Hunt, a statewide crackdown on alleged illegal residents, with over 6200 more are under verification.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday clarified that students applying for verification and re-evaluation of Class XII answer sheets do not need to have accounts with State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda or Indian Bank to make payments on its online portal, addressing confusion that emerged after the system was launched earlier this week, Times of India reported.The clarification came after several students claimed on social media that the portal appeared to restrict payments to customers of the four public sector banks. In a statement posted on X, CBSE said the portal only uses payment gateways operated by these banks and does not require applicants to hold accounts with them.Also Read: Claude, other AI tools used to breach CBSE portals: IIT PanelโCandidates may use the available online payment options โ UPI, net banking, credit card and debit card โ through the designated gateways,โ the board said.CBSE also said the portal continued to function smoothly despite a major cyberattack attempt on Tuesday, shortly after it went live. According to the board, the platform came under a barrage of denial-of-service attacks within minutes of its launch, receiving nearly 1.5 million hits in two minutes along with more than one lakh attempts at unauthorised file access.The board said its technical teams worked continuously to maintain the stability and security of the platform.โThe portal has accepted 4,924 applications for verification and 39,056 applications for re-evaluation (total of 43,980) as of 12 noon today,โ CBSE said.The board urged students to rely only on official CBSE communication for updates related to the process.Also Read: CBSE re-evaluation portal keeps lakhs of students guessingThe verification and re-evaluation window opened on June 2 for Class XII students who had earlier obtained scanned copies of their answer books evaluated under the boardโs new digital On-Screen Marking (OMS) system.