IT companies have been instructed to send escorts in cabs that drop off women

CUTTACK: On Monday, 302 nodal centers throughout the state received the question-and-answer booklets for the matriculation examination, which will start on February 25. According to D P Nanda, head of the board of secondary education, “the booklets were transported from the board office to the nodal centers with police escort. The nodal centers will be guarded by police personnel and nodal officers, round-the-clock.” Question-and-answer booklets have been despatched to remote locations in the first phase. A board official stated, “We are working to make sure the booklets go to all the nodal centers in time. This year, the board introduced question-and-answer booklets for the first time. The board believes the idea will aid in preventing cheating on the high school diploma exam. The board of secondary education has opted to store the question papers in safe custody at 302 nodal centers rather than examination centers in an effort to prevent a repeat of the question paper theft situation that happened last year. One day prior to the exam, the question papers will be sent under police protection from the nodal point to the testing locations. Schools that have the necessary infrastructure and a secure locking system have been turned into nodal centers. The booklets would be preserved in police stations in some locations where such well-equipped schools were not available. 18 police stations have been designated as nodal centers to safeguard the security of the exam papers, according to Nanda. The SPs of every district have been asked by the board officials to provide security at the nodal and testing locations. On March 21 of last year, the matriculation test was abruptly cancelled when it was reported that question papers for seven subjects had been taken from Bhagabati Vidyapitha in Bajapur village, Puri district. Later, more tests were administered in April. 70,000 students will take the matriculation exam in the ex-regular stream this year, while 5 lakh students will sit for the exam in the regular stream. For the efficient administration of the exam, the board has designated 2500 testing locations. From February 25 to March 9, the tests will be administered.