More than 25 million people in the Indian state of Rajasthan had limited or even no access to the internet on Sunday. The government had turned that off in an attempt to prevent cheating on a major exam, CNN reports Tuesday.
Hundreds of thousands of people took the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teacher (REET) on Sunday. This is an exam that must be passed in order to be able to work as a teacher in primary or secondary education in government schools. The functions are very popular, because they have certain labor benefits. It was the first time since 2018 that it was possible to take this exam again.
Thousands of test centers were set up in Rajasthan, where people were taken free of charge by buses from their hometown. The government ordered all districts to deny access to the internet to prevent information leaks, such as the questions on the exam. Fraud has occurred more frequently in the past.
At least ten districts shut down access to the mobile internet. In some districts, however, broadband internet remained in the air to minimise disruption to daily and business life.
In Jaipur, the most populous district of the state with more than 6.6 million inhabitants, the internet was shut down between 8am and 5pm. In total, more than 25 million people would have had limited or no access to the internet.
