Hi-tech gizmos for foolproof counselling

DETERMINED TO maintain the sanctity of counselling, the Central Counselling Board (CCB) of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) has decided to introduce digital signatures and digi card readers for officials to be deployed during counselling for qualifying students of UP and Uttaranchal.

Counselling is all set to begin at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) from June 28.

A decision to this effect was conveyed by the CCB, led by Prof SS Singh, during a training-cum-refresher session organised for counselling officials and the staff at the MNNIT.

“The CCB reviews the preparation and existing infrastructure for counselling and makes amendments on the basis of feedback and suggestions for making counselling free from controversy and doubts,” said district informatics officer Praveen Singh. Unlike the previous year, counselling authorities have been allotted digital signatures that can be read by card readers being installed at choice filling computers. The digital signatures were allocated to authorities during the training session conducted by CCB officials.

“The board, in a bid to negate human error, decided to introduce digital signatures,” explained Praveen Singh, who is coordinating counselling at the district level. “The counselling authorities,” said Praveen Singh, “who are being deployed at verification and choice filling centres will have to register themselves through these digital signatures first.

“This will almost negate the possibility of any discrepancy related to choice-locking and verification of documents by any other person, except the counselee and the counsellor,” said the district informatics officer, while giving final touches to installation of software to be used during counselling on Tuesday.

The optical card reader, being installed on the computers, will also be able to identify the official and tampering with information committed between the duration of choice filling by students and locking by the official.

Thus, any attempt to illegally interfere with the counselling and information would be immediately detected, added Praveen Singh.

In another step, the counselling authorities have decided to verify documents first followed by the depositing of fees. It may be mentioned here that in previous years, the candidates had to deposit counselling fees first, which often created problems for the student denied counselling after the verification of documents.

Changes have been made in the software, too, to accommodate the amendment, which will facilitate the students to opt for counselling without any further hindrance .

Meanwhile, the Internet facility of the various departments of MNNIT, too, is being jammed from Tuesday night. This is being done to ensure proper availability of bandwidth for uninterrupted online counselling.

The day one of counselling is scheduled for the students of SC and ST categories.