Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test postponed day before exam after suspicion of paper leak

Digital marketing strategist and Fox and Finch Media director Abhishikth Katragadda Abhishikth Katragadda addressing entrepreneurs in Guntur on Saturday. | Vijaya Kumar The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) Women Entrepreneurs Wing (Central Zone) on Saturday organised an interactive session on “Digital Marketing for Modern Business” in Guntur, equipping women entrepreneurs with practical strategies to strengthen their digital presence and expand their businesses.Around 40 entrepreneurs attended the programme. Digital marketing strategist and Fox and Finch Media director Abhishikth Katragadda explained the fundamentals of digital marketing, branding, artificial intelligence (AI), social media and performance marketing, stressing the need for a sustainable digital presence to improve brand visibility and competitiveness.The session was organised under the leadership of AP Chambers Central Zone vice-chairperson Sakku Madhavi, Women Entrepreneurs Wing chairperson Rayapati Mamatha and vice-chairperson Sravanti Badam, along with committee members. Published - June 27, 2026 07:54 pm IST

Collector Rajakumari Ganiya and Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari inaugurate the newly established Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI) centre in Nandyal town on Wednesday. | They said the launch of the new centre would give a new direction for self-employment of rural youth.Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Rajakumari said RSETI plays a pivotal role in addressing the issue of rural unemployment, and urged unemployed rural youth to undergo training at the RSETI, established under the aegis of Union Bank of India, and evolve into entrepreneurs.Inaugurated the new RSETI Training Centre at Kranti Nagar, Nandyal. A significant step towards empowering rural youth and women through skill development and self-employment opportunities. #Nandyal#RSETI#SkillDevelopment#SelfEmploymentpic.twitter.com/dmPbrRkFsi— District Collector Nandyal (@deiprknl) June 17, 2026The RSETI plays a crucial role in resolving rural unemployment by drawing on government schemes and bank support, she said, and explained that the centre’s primary objective was to steer youth towards self-employment and help them achieve financial self-reliance by providing training tailored to modern-day requirements.The RSETI centres are functioning effectively in addressing rural unemployment by coordinating government welfare schemes, financial assistance from banks and skill development training. She suggested that trained youth should not merely wait for jobs but should instead emerge as entrepreneurs themselves and reach a stage where they could provide employment to others.Ms. Shabari said the primary objective of RSETI is to provide free training to rural youth and enable self-employment through bank loan assistance. The RSETI aims to provide free vocational and skill training to rural youth, followed by opportunities for self-employment supported by bank loans, she said, and expressed hope that the centre would help more youth and women in the district become financially empowered.Union Bank Regional Head D. Anil Kumar said the bank was committed to the economic development of the weaker sections of society. He said that through the Nandyal RSETI, it would provide skill training to farmers, women and Self-Help Group (SHG) members, thereby enabling their financial self-reliance.RSETI Director B. Aruna Kumari, trainers, staff, trainees and several public representatives took part in the event. Published - June 17, 2026 04:53 pm IST

The medical entrance examination is scheduled to be held on June 21. | The medical entrance examination is scheduled to be held on June 21. Chairman, Railway Board; Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy; Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Secretary, Department of Posts; Directors General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and DG, National Testing Agency, and senior officers from Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare were also present at the meeting. Mr. Mohan directed all State governments and Central agencies to ensure that security protocols are strictly adhered to, and the exam is conducted in a flawless manner. States were requested to facilitate smooth travel of students. Chairman, Railway Board, assured full cooperation, the Ministry said.Earlier, the government had decided to transport the question papers in Indian Air Force (IAF) planes. The question papers will be transferred by the IAF to 18 locations across the country.CRPF and CISF personnel have been deployed to provide security to the exam papers as they are taken to examination centres, a government official said.According to an internal communication sent by CRPF directorate in Delhi on June 12, CRPF units across the country were asked to “deploy personnel and nominate nodal officers for security arrangements for transportation of confidential NEET-2026 examination material.”In another communication, all commandants were asked to ensure that the personnel deputed for the task should have clean record and no disciplinary or any other inquiry be pending against them. “Their ward, family members and relative should not be appearing in NEET examination,” the communication had added.The NEET-UG 2026 examination, originally held on May 3, was cancelled nationwide on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. Published - June 16, 2026 12:18 am IST

Police and railway officials recover bodies from the railway tracks after three women and a boy were killed after allegedly jumping off the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express following rumours of a fire on board, in Morena district, Madhya Pradesh, on June 14, 2026. | According to officials of the North Central Railway, the incident took place around 4.15 p.m. between the Hetampur and Dholpur sections of Jhansi railway division after a passenger in a general coach pulled the alarm chain of the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express.The deceased included three women and a child who were identified as Virma Devi, 60, a resident of Bikaner district in Rajasthan; Shakuntala Devi, 60, Afreen, 35, and her four-year-old son Asad Khan, all residents of Agra district in Uttar Pradesh.“According to preliminary information, while the train was stopped, some passengers alighted and moved onto the adjacent railway track,” North Central Railway in a statement, adding that some passengers who were on the nearby track were hit by Firozpur-Seoni Patalkot Express.“Upon receiving information about the incident, officials from the Railway Administration, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local administration immediately rushed to the site. Necessary assistance was provided to the affected passengers,” the statement said.The Railway said that an investigation has been launched to ascertain the causes and circumstances of the incident.“The aforementioned tragic incident occurred after the train was stopped by pulling the alarm chain; the individuals disembarked and attempted to stand on or cross the tracks at an unsafe location. The reason for pulling the alarm chain has not yet been ascertained. A committee comprising JAG-level officers has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter,” Manoj Kumar Singh, PRO, Jhansi division, said, while urging railway passengers to not get off a moving or a stationary train midway.Nadeem Khan, Afreen’s husband, said that he and his family jumped off the train after some people started a rumour of fire in the train.“Someone started the rumour that fire erupted in the train, so the train was suddenly stopped. People started jumping off the train, so we also jumped. But, my elder child got left behind in the train, so I went to check on him while my wife and younger son were outside. That was when another train approached and my wife and son were run over by it,” he told a news agency. Published - June 14, 2026 08:00 pm IST

Commuters wade through a waterlogged stretch at Ranigunj in Secunderabad after heavy rain lashed Hyderabad the city on June 9. | Revanth Reddy has directed the officials to be on high alert in view of the onset of monsoon and take steps in advance to avoid inconvenience to people.He warned that stringent action will be initiated against officials who are found guilty of dereliction of duties. The Chief Minister enquired about the status of affairs in the Core Urban Region (CURE) during the heavy rains on June 9 and expressed dissatisfaction over the traffic jams and other problems faced by the people. Despite a warning issued by the weatherman, the Municipal Administration and the Police were found wanting in discharge of their duties, he said.Recalling the directions he gave during a meeting on June 1, the Chief Minister grilled the officials about their failure to implement them. Absence of effective coordination between the Municipal and Police departments and the negligence of the officials concerned was evident with the state of affairs that was witnessed on June 9.He directed Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to analyse the reasons behind the development and initiate action against the concerned officials. He wanted the officials to take steps in advance based on the forecast of the meteorology department. Officials of the Municipal Administration, HYDRAA, traffic, water works and other departments should stay on the field. “I myself will come and inspect the situation at the ground level,” he said.Warning the traffic police against giving scope for traffic jams, he directed Director General of Police C.V. Anand to take steps to fill vacancies in the Traffic Wing at the earliest. “There should not be any scope for complacency. I will not tolerate if human errors are found behind the problems,” he said.Directing the officials concerned to be prepared with data pertaining to water logging points, black spots on the roads and areas where there was scope for traffic jams, he said there was power failure in several areas due to trees that were uprooted and expressed displeasure that officials did not act in time to restore power supply. Officials should keep mobile transformers wherever needed and the department officials should mandatorily be on field. Published - June 14, 2026 09:25 pm IST

Image used for representational purposes only. Photo: X@NTA_Exams The National Testing Agency has launched a dedicated digital training programme for examination officials on the iGOT Karmayogi Bharat platform to strengthen supervision and invigilation of its examinations, including NEET-UG.Titled 'Pariksha Karmayogi: Capacity-Building Programme for Examination Officials', the programme has been designed to strengthen the capacity of examination functionaries and to ensure the smooth, secure and standardised conduct of offline, pen-and-paper based examinations, the NTA said in a statement on Saturday (June 13, 2026).The course is intended for examination functionaries, in particular Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, who are involved in the conduct of the NTA examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET (Undergraduate), the statement said.The programme comprises four modules that together cover the complete examination lifecycle. The first module introduces the course and the role of examination functionaries in maintaining fairness, transparency and integrity. The second covers preparedness before the examination, including centre readiness, security arrangements and adherence to standard operating procedures.The third module deals with examination-day operations across four stages — before the examination, at the beginning of the examination, during the examination and after the examination. The fourth module serves as a quick reference guide, offering a concise recap of key instructions and responsibilities.Hosted on the iGOT Karmayogi Bharat platform, the course enables standardised, self-paced learning and assessment-based certification for examination personnel across the country. The initiative aims to enhance procedural compliance, operational efficiency and accountability at examination centres, the statement said.It further said that well-trained personnel are critical to the smooth and fair conduct of large-scale national examinations. By establishing uniform examination administration standards, the programme reinforces NTA's commitment to excellence and integrity in its examinations."The initiative reflects NTA's continued efforts to leverage technology-driven capacity building and to strengthen the examination ecosystem through trained and certified manpower," it added.The NEET-UG for admissions into medical courses took place on May 3 this year but was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak. The CBI is currently investigating this matter, and a retest is scheduled for June 21. Published - June 13, 2026 03:23 pm IST