Chhattisgarh board exam question papers reach remote village in Naxal-hit Sukma in helicopter

NEW DELHI: The Chhattisgarh government used a helicopter to transport the board examination question papers to an exam centre located in an interior pocket of Naxalite-hit Sukma district in the state, officials said on Friday. Class 12 examination of the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) began on Friday, while Class 10 board exams are scheduled to start from Saturday. This is the second year in a row that a helicopter was used for carrying the board exam papers to Jagargunda exam centre in Sukma, they said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's office on Thursday night posted pictures of a helicopter ferrying board exam question papers to the centre in Jagargunda on its 'X' handle, and wrote that the future of students was the topmost priority in his state. "This is our Chhattisgarh, where the future of children is our topmost concern. Question papers were sent by helicopter to Jagargunda in Sukma. The board examinations are starting from March 1," it said.

Appreciating the effort of the local district administration, CM Sai said the initiative taken for shaping bright future of the children in tribal areas is praiseworthy. "Let no child remain deprived of good education. Chhattisgarh government is dedicated to the better future of children," it added. Of the 16 centres for board examinations in Sukma district, question papers were sent to the Jagargunda centre in a chopper on February 27 in view of security reasons, a district administration official said.

Exam papers airlifted for students

Total 36 students, including 16 of Class 12 and 20 of Class 10 belonging to different schools will appear in exams at the Jagargunda centre, he said. This is for the second time that a helicopter was used for carrying question papers to Jagargunda. In the previous academic session, a chopper was used to transport question papers at Jagargunda, which was made an exam centre for the first time in 2022-23.

Earlier, students from the area had to go to Dornapal for board examinations, he said. More than 2.61 lakh students have enrolled for Class 12 state board examination in the ongoing academic session in the state which will be held from March 1 to 23, while over 3.45 lakh students for Class 10 board exams to be held between March 2 and 21. Total 2,475 examination centres have been set up across the state, officials said.