New Delhi, Dec 23: Director Census Operations (DCO) and Director Citizen Registration (DCR), Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, on Tuesday, said that the upcoming Digital Census 2027 would be a real game changer for the country.

Speaking during an Arohana 2025 – Growth with Impact, Government Summit organised by Deloitte in New Delhi over the last two days, Sharma said that the Government of India would conduct its first-ever paperless digital census since its inception in India, which would be backed by innovation and technology.

“It will have a far-reaching impact upon the Indian economy, demography, politics, and even the exports and imports happening in the nation,” he said.

Sharma said that the maiden digital census would help in fast processing of information, primarily based on Artificial Intelligence tools and automatic updating of data through an application developed for both Android and iOS platforms, which would help in faster and efficient policy making, corporate decisions, and global economy boosting.

He said that the data centres of the Office of Registrar General of India set-up in different geographical locations like Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Delhi were geared-up for this humongous data processing, after successful culmination of both the rounds of HLO and PE. Sharma shared a unique novel initiative of the upcoming digital census – ‘self-enumeration’, which means that people would be given the facility of filling in their information directly through the requisite application made for it, which would be verified during the visit of enumerators and supervisors at their respective households.

He urged people to become their messengers and supporters in successful conduct of Census 2027 and said that a big nationwide publicity campaign with star appeal and wide scale usage of social media tools like reels and short demo videos was also on the cards for creating mass awareness about this critically important census in the nation which would take place after a gap of more than one and half decades.

Sharma had been invited as a subject-specialist and a keynote speaker to lead the highly powered panel discussion around the theme of ‘India’s First Digital Census: Redefining Data for a New Bharat’. The other key speakers who spoke on the subject, along with Sharma, were former IT consultant, Election Commission of India (ECI), Neeta Verma, and Chief Innovation Officer, Deloitte South Asia, Sudeepta K, who also moderated the session. The organisers from Deloitte South Asia thanked Sharma for his presentation about multiple aspects of the upcoming first Digital Census 2027.

New Delhi, Dec 23: An elderly woman found in a frail and confused state at Belapur railway station last week has been identified as Rekha Shrivastava, the former wife of late India cricketer Salim Durani, according to NGO workers and friends of the family. The 84-year-old was rescued by volunteers of the Help Drive Foundation and is currently undergoing treatment, with doctors describing her condition as “very poor” and marked by severe memory loss, the Times of India reported. Shrivastava was reportedly found wandering at the station with no recollection of how she reached there. As per people familiar with the family, she and Durani had divorced decades ago. She later remarried, lived for some years in Khar, then shifted to Mira Road with her son from the second marriage, and in recent years had been staying in an Andheri hotel before her disappearance, reports TOI.

Her plight came to light after a video shared on social media by Tarun Mishra, founder of the Help Drive Foundation, went viral. In the clip, the woman identifies herself as Salim Durani’s wife, triggering widespread attention and debate over her claims. Mishra told TOI that the video was posted as part of the NGO’s standard process to trace families of homeless persons. “Many people brought to our shelters cannot recall where they are from. Social media often helps us verify identities and locate relatives,” he said. According to Mishra, Shrivastava first mentioned Durani’s name when she was taken to the Belapur police station as part of the rescue protocol. Subsequently, friends and associates of the former cricketer contacted the NGO and confirmed her identity.

Mid-Day reported that the woman was initially seen begging in the Belapur area, which led to further confusion and scepticism about her claims. However, the NGO later traced her daughter, who confirmed that the woman in the video was indeed her mother and Durani’s former wife. The daughter reportedly saw her mother for the first time in nearly 40 years through the viral footage, the NGO told the newspaper, adding that documentary proof is now being collected to formally establish the relationship.

In the video, Shrivastava is heard recounting a life of privilege. “My name is Rekha Shrivastava. I am the wife of cricketer Salim Durani. We lived in a bungalow and met ministers and even royalty. My husband died two years ago. I sold my bungalow and now I have nothing,” she says, also claiming she once worked with an airline. She is currently staying at a shelter home in Navi Mumbai.

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja also reached out to the NGO after seeing the video, offering assistance. Mishra said the foundation declined individual help, maintaining that all residents at their shelters are treated equally. “If anyone wishes to help, they can support the NGO, not one person,” he said as reported by the newspaper.

Fans and some of Durani’s friends have expressed concern and caution. The midday newspaper reported that Ramyar Balsara, a close friend of Durani, said that Rekha was indeed the name of Durani’s first wife and that the woman in the video bears a strong resemblance. “I cannot confirm with certainty, but if she is his wife, she deserves dignity and support,” he said, recalling Durani’s simple lifestyle despite his fame. Some of the associates have also echoed similar sentiments, saying much of the information shared by the woman appears accurate, though they are still trying to conclusively verify her identity. Police said no documents were found on her at the time of rescue. Senior Inspector Arun Pawar of CBD Belapur police station told Mid-Day that verification is ongoing and the woman will be reunited with her family once sufficient evidence is available.

Webdunia, which also carried a detailed report on the viral video, noted that there has been no official confirmation yet from Durani’s family in Jamnagar. Media reports also pointed out that mainstream cricket biographies do not clearly mention a wife named Rekha Shrivastava, which has further added uncertainty. However, the portal acknowledged many details narrated by the woman. including Durani’s life in Mumbai, his travels, and his social circle. broadly align with known facts.

Salim Durani, according to media reports, was born in Kabul in 1934 and later settled in Jamnagar. He played 29 Tests for India between 1960 and 1973, taking 75 wickets with his left-arm spin and scoring 1,202 runs. He was India’s first Arjuna Award recipient and a key figure in the historic 1971 Test series win in the West Indies. He passed away in April 2023 at the age of 88. Beyond statistics, Durani occupied a rare place in Indian cricket’s popular imagination. Handsome, charismatic and flamboyant, he was a genuine heartthrob of his era, famously known for hitting “sixes on demand” at the crowd’s request. Salim lived a good life, and his popularity often spilled beyond the boundary ropes. Reports suggest that he had a brief foray into Bollywood and acted opposite Parveen Babi in a film. Durani’s personal life, too, remained the subject of whispers and controversy, marked by fractured relationships and long silences. The distressing episode involving his former wife has once again cast a spotlight on the complicated, and sometimes tragic, private life of one of Indian cricket’s most romanticised figures.

New Delhi, Dec 23: The National Testing Agency (NTA) would implement facial biometric authentication during examinations and live photography at the application stage to strengthen exam security across all entrance examinations, beginning with JEE (Mains) in January 2026.

The move is aimed at curbing impersonation and other malpractices by ensuring real-time identity verification of candidates at multiple stages of the examination process, officials said.

“They will be implementing a facial recognition system during the examination and live photography during the filing of the application,” Secretary of Higher Education Vineet Joshi said during a media interaction.

“This will be implemented from January, from JEE (Mains),” he added.

Facial biometric verification confirms a person’s identity by analysing unique facial features, such as the distance between the eyes or the shape of the nose, to create a digital template for comparison with stored data, often using AI for analysis.

Meanwhile, a real-time photo capture via webcam or phone is used during online application or exam processes to prevent impersonation.

Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2026, conducted by NTA, is scheduled from January 21 to 30, 2026.

Established in 2017, NTA conducts major entrance examinations, including the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for engineering; the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) for medicine; and the CUET for general Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in central universities.

These measures are part of the recommendation by the Radhakrishnan Committee, which was constituted following widespread reports of malpractices in the NEET-UG exam, 2024.

The government-appointed committee has proposed a significant overhaul of India’s entrance exam system, with a focus on digitalisation, security, and streamlining processes.

The seven-member panel, led by former ISRO Chief R. Radhakrishnan, outlined a two-phase plan for reform: Immediate/Short-Term, like restructuring of NTA and Multi-level biometric verification (registration, centre, counselling) and Phase 2 (Long-Term), including”Digi-Exam” Platform: Implement biometric-based digital exams, similar to DigiYatra.

To further prevent exam breaches, the committee proposes multi-level biometric verification across registration, test centres, counselling, and admissions. This comprehensive approach aims to create a more secure and tamper-proof testing environment.