Students preparing for the highly competitive examinations that can lead to limited government jobs have welcomed the news that India’s lower house of Parliament has passed anti-cheating legislation to tackle the long-standing problem.
Every year, tens of thousands of Indians take part in the gruelling exams, a gateway to qualify for coveted positions, with those who pass offered jobs at ministries and government departments.
Sumit Suman, 29, an accountant with Indian Railways in Jharkhand, who is preparing for his Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam in his native state, said he was hopeful the new law would curb the scourge of cheating.
“In India it is a very big problem because exams get cancelled,” Mr Suman told The National. "I am hopeful that the law would work and help curbing cheating."
The difficultly of the exams and the desperation to pass has led to instances of bribing examiners, and question papers and answer sheets being leaked.
Mr Suman said cheating was widespread because the many potential candidates were vying for only a few vacancies, making the field highly competitive.
In an attempt to bring more transparency, the government this week introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024.
“The objective of the Bill is to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems and to reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded,” the proposal states.
With a population surpassing 1.4 billion, of which about 40 per cent are at the legal working age, finding jobs in India can be a challenging task.
Government jobs, although low-paid, offer financial perks, as well as social security and benefits.
The bill would cover a wide range of offences such as leaking questions and answers, participation in collusion with others in leaking papers, directly or indirectly assisting the candidate in any untoward manner and manipulation of seating arrangements, among others.
Cheating in exams has become a flourishing business in the country where people pay steep prices for leaked question papers beforehand or to have someone sit for them taking the tests across all levels of the education system.
Prices can range between 2,000 rupees ($24, or eight times the average daily wage) for standing in on exam to a million rupees or $12,000 that could involve an elaborate plan such as stealing and leaking papers or using an imposter.
Every year, scores of students as well as teachers and organisers are accused of cheating.
A young man was arrested last month after he impersonated his partner to take the exam on her behalf. He was caught after his biometrics failed to match, and an investigation is ongoing.
The Central Selection Board of Constable in eastern state of Bihar in October last year had cancelled a written test for constable recruitments after complaints of question leaks and incidents of cheating during the test.
The state is one of the most impoverished in the country and jobs are scarce.
In 2015, images of parents and friends scaling the walls of test centres in Bihar to pass answers to students during a secondary school examination shocked the country.
One of the biggest cheating scams was Vyapam, a state examination in central Madhya Pradesh state that began in 1993 but was unearthed in 2013.
More than 2,000 students conned their way into medical colleges and government posts with the help of test-fixing gangs that included suspected cheaters, politicians and test administrators. At least 1,800 people were arrested.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
More on animal trafficking
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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