This refers to ‘CBSE admits that there are vulnerabilities in the evaluation portal, more than a week later’ (June 1). The recent developments on the new On Screen Marking (OSM) system has created mistrust among the parents and students.

The selection of a vendor with a bad track record needs to be probed further.

The legal investigation should cover the methodology adopted by CBSE in conducting multiple rounds of Users Acceptance Testing, action taken on findings of such tests, details of Penetration testing by a reputed third party vendor, their observations and the compliance on action taken.

RV Baskaran

Pune

MPC imperatives

Our economy now confronts a policy grey zone. Consumption in critical imports remains inelastic, while tighter monetary conditions could unnecessarily burden investment and domestic demand.

The present impasse is proving to be broadly agnostic to conventional rate action.

RBI’s key concern through much of 2026 could be preserving macroeconomic stability rather than attempting aggressive policy recalibration.

The more probable course is a status quo on rates and a hawkish tone. The RBI may revise inflation forecasts upward, trim growth projections and reinforce its commitment to currency stability and liquidity management.

R Narayanan

Navi Mumbai

Promising discovery

This refers to the article ‘The protein-peptide bonds that heal’ (June 1).

The research from IIT-Bombay on stapled peptides and their interaction with water

molecules marks a genuinely promising advance in cancer drug discovery.

What stands out is the shift in focus — from looking only at the drug molecule’s shape and binding capability to also examining how it influences surrounding water behaviour. This entropic insight could meaningfully improve therapeutic efficacy while reducing dosage requirements.

That said, the researchers themselves caution that computational findings need extensive experimental and clinical validation before translating into usable medicines.

India would do well to invest more consistently in bridging this gap between in-silico research and clinical application.

M Barathi

Bengaluru

Published on June 1, 2026