Karnataka exam authority proposes mandatory Aadhaar registration for students

The Karnataka Examination Authority has proposed Aadhaar-linked registration for all examinations. The KEA has presented this proposal to the Karnataka e-Governance department.

In Short

• KEA proposes Aadhaar-linked registration to eliminate seat blocking issues
• Students to receive exam information directly on their mobile phones via Aadhaar
• Aadhaar registration aims to enhance authentication and prevent misconduct

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has put forth a proposal for Aadhaar-linked registration for students seeking seats in professional courses starting next year. This initiative aims to eliminate the issue of seat blocking, according to official sources.

The KEA has submitted this proposal to the Karnataka e-Governance department.

"The e-Governance department is in favour of our proposal, and they have sent a proposal to the Government of India for approval. We are awaiting the approval soon," KEA Executive Director H Prasanna was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The proposed Aadhaar-linked registration aims to provide authentication, which has been lacking, to prevent any misconduct during the registration process. Additionally, it will facilitate the dissemination of exam-related information directly to students' mobile phones, he stated.

Plans are also underway to implement Aadhaar-linked registration for recruitment exams conducted by the KEA for various departments, aimed at curbing impersonation and other malpractices, Prasanna stated.

This initiative follows the revelation of an alleged seat-blocking scam associated with the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) quota, which emerged after all rounds of engineering seat allotment were completed.

It was discovered that multiple students had blocked seats using the same IP address, and the mobile numbers and email IDs they provided to the KEA were either fake or incorrect.

Officials noted that, in some instances, students who secured seats in popular streams at top colleges failed to report, potentially causing these seats under the KCET quota to be transferred to the management quota.

Suspecting seat blocking in these cases, they indicated that third parties might be colluding with college management and, in some instances, students themselves.

(With inputs from PTI)