NEW DELHI, Mar 24: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is examining a proposal to allow use of basic non-programmable calculators in class 12 accountancy exams to ease cognitive load associated with lengthy calculations, according to board officials.

A panel will be formed to formulate guidelines on their use to ensure uniformity, they added.

While CBSE allows students with special needs in both classes 10 and 12 to use calculators, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISEC) allowed class 12 students to use calculators in 2021.

“The board’s curriculum committee had proposed that basic, non-programmable calculators be allowed in class 12 accountancy examination, limited to functions necessary for typical financial calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and percentage calculations,” a senior board official said.

“A panel will be formed to provide clear guidelines regarding acceptable calculator models to ensure uniformity and prevent the use of advanced or programmable devices. The curriculum committee has argued that the move will allow students to allocate more time to analytical responses and case study assignments,” the official added.

The curriculum committee has also argued that allowing calculators will ease the cognitive load of lengthy calculations and help students by reducing their stress and improving exam performance.

With the move, the board also aims to enhance analytical responses, align with international standards, and support the National Education Policy (NEP)’s focus on higher-order thinking skills.

Other key proposals being considered by the board include piloting an On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for small-volume subjects and implementing a new re-evaluation process in board exams.

“To reduce the time spent on sending answer books to evaluation centres physically, the examination committee of the board proposed implementing On-Screen Marking (OSM) which will entail scanning and uploading answer sheets for digital evaluation, ensuring a faster and more efficient evaluation process.

“The proposal of OSM may be rolled out on a pilot basis in a few subjects in the main examination in both Classes 10 and 12; science or mathematics supplementary examination and mathematics for revaluation from 2024-25 academic session,” the official added. (Agencies)

Vinod Bhat

Prices of petrol and diesel are market determined and Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) take appropriate decision on pricing of petrol and diesel.

Domestically, Petrol and Diesel prices have come down to Rs. 94.77 and Rs. 87.67 per litre respectively (Delhi prices) as a result of various steps taken by Government and PSU OMCs, Central Excise duty was reduced by the Central Government by a total of Rs. 13/litre and Rs. 16/litre on petrol and diesel respectively in two tranches in November 2021 and May 2022, which was fully passed on to consumers. Some State Governments also reduced state VAT rates to provide relief to citizens. In March, 2024, OMCs reduced the retail prices of petrol and diesel by Rs. 2 per litre each.

India has been the only major economy in the world where the prices of petrol and diesel have come down in recent years. Changes in prices of petrol and diesel in some major economies between November 2021 and January 2025 are as under:

Changes in prices of petrol and diesel in some neighboring economies between November 2021 and January 2025

India imports about 60% of the domestic LPG consumed. Price of LPG in the country is linked to its price in the international market. While the average Saudi CP (international benchmark for LPG pricing) rose by 63% (from US$ 385/MT in July 2023 to US$ 629/MT in February 2025), the effective price for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) consumers for domestic LPG was reduced by 44% (from Rs. 903 in August 2023 to Rs. 503 in February 2025).

The retail selling price of a 14.2 Kg domestic LPG cylinder is currently Rs. 803 in Delhi. After a targeted subsidy of Rs. 300/cylinder to PMUY consumers, Government of India is providing 14.2 Kg LPG cylinders at an effective price of Rs.503 per cylinder (in Delhi). This is available to more than 10.33 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries, across the country.

Globally, PMUY is the biggest program of its kind that provides Domestic LPG to more than 100 million poor households at an effective price of just about Rs. 35/Kg. Further, the effective price of domestic LPG cylinder in neighbouring countries as on 01.01.2025 is as below.

Government of India is closely monitoring global energy markets as well as potential energy supply disruptions as a fall-out of the evolving geopolitical situation. To ensure security of crude supplies and to mitigate the risk of dependence on crude oil from single region, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have diversified their petroleum import basket and are procuring crude from countries located at various geographical locations.

Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the dependency on crude oil which, inter alia, include demand substitution by promoting usage of natural gas as fuel/feedstock across the country towards increasing the share of natural gas in economy and moving towards gas based economy, promotion of renewable and alternate fuels like ethanol, second generation ethanol, compressed bio gas and biodiesel, refinery process improvements, promoting energy efficiency and conservation, efforts for increasing production of oil and natural gas through various policies initiatives, etc. For promoting the use of Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) as automotive fuel, Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative has also been launched.

The government has been taking various steps to boost domestic oil and gas production which, inter-alia, include:

i.          Policy under PSC regime for early monetization of hydrocarbon discoveries, 2014.

ii.         Discovered Small Field Policy, 2015.

iii.        Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), 2016.

iv.        Policy for Extension of PSCs, 2016 and 2017.

v.         Policy for early monetization of Coal Bed Methane, 2017.

vi.        Setting up of National Data Repository, 2017.

vii.       Appraisal of Un-appraised areas in Sedimentary Basins under National Seismic Programme, 2017.

viii.      Policy framework for extension of PSCs for Discovered Fields and Exploration Blocks

under Pre-New Exploration Licensing Policy (Pre-NELP), 2016 and 2017.

ix.        Policy to Promote and Incentivize Enhanced Recovery Methods for Oil and Gas, 2018.

x.         Policy Framework for exploration and exploitation of Unconventional Hydrocarbons under Existing Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs), Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Contracts and Nomination Fields, 2018.

xi.        Natural Gas Marketing Reforms, 2020.

xii.       Lower Royalty Rates, Zero Revenue Share (till Windfall Gain) and no drilling commitment in Phase-I in OALP Blocks under Category II and III basins to attract bidders.

xiii.      Release of about 1 million Sq. Km. (SKM) ‘No-Go’ area in offshore which were blocked for exploration for decades.

xiv.      Government is also spending about Rs.7500 Cr. for acquisition of seismic data in onland and offshore areas and drilling of stratigraphic wells to make quality data of Indian Sedimentary Basins available to bidders. Government has approved acquisition of additional 2D Seismic data of 20,000 LKM in onland and 30,000 LKM in offshore beyond Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India.  

This information was given by THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS SHRI SURESH GOPI, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Jammu — Over three lakh ‘pucca’ houses were constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the past two years in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar said on Monday.

In a written reply to a starred question by BJP’s Balwant Singh Mankotia in the assembly, the minister said a fresh survey is under progress to cover all eligible left over households under the scheme.

A total of 3,04,544 houses – 2,60,124 in Jammu and 44,420 in Kashmir – were completed as on March 18, 2025 under the centrally sponsored PMAY-G scheme, against the sanctioned 2,86,057 houses in Jammu and 48,806 houses in the valley, the minister said.

He said the maximum houses were completed in Rajouri district (55,829) followed by 46,752 (Poonch), 31,714 (Ramban), 28,097 (Doda), 26,449 (Reasi), 21,143 (Udhampur), 21,061 (Kathua), 14,442 (Kishtwar), 12,285 (Jammu) and 2,352 (Samba).

In Kashmir, Anantnag district accounted for the maximum houses (9,999) followed by 9,775 (Kupwara), 5,534 (Baramulla), 5,238 (Kulgam), 3,852 (Bandipora), 2,918 (Ganderbal), 2,479 (Pulwama), 2,398 (Shopian), 2,164 (Badgam) and 63 (Srinagar).

In a related unstarred question by Congress legislator Irfan Hafiz Lone, the minister said in case of landless PMAY(G) beneficiaries who are eligible for housing assistance, five marlas of state land are being allotted to mitigate the difficulties being faced by landless to avail the facility.

In a separate written reply to an unstarred question by National Conference legislator Khurshid Ahmad, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 1,288 houses were gutted in separate fire incidents across J-K over the past two years.

While 574 houses were gutted in 2023-24, the number increased to 714 in 2024-25, Abdullah, who is also minister in-charge disaster management, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction department said.

He said the maximum 107 houses were gutted in Kishtwar district, 97 Kupwara, 64 Kulgam, 61 Anantnag, 56 Srinagar, 52 Budgam, 51 Baramulla, 47 Ramban, 36 Bandipora, 20 Doda, 21 Shopian, 17 each Pulwama and Udhampur, 16 Rajouri, 15 Reasi, 12 Poonch, 11 Ganderbal, seven Samba and six Jammu in the FY 2024-25.

Similarly in 2023-24, the maximum 91 houses were gutted in Srinagar, 76 Kupwara, 71 Anantnag, 68 Baramulla, 48 Bandipora, 30 Budgam, 27 Ramban, 25 Kulgam, 21 Kishtwar, 20 Pulwama, 18 Poonch, 14 each Udhampur and Jammu, 11 each Shopian and Rajouri, eight Ganderbal, five Kathua and two Reasi.

An amount of Rs 1.30 lakh is given as compensation for completely gutted houses under SDRF norms, he said. — (PTI)