New Delhi

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday clarified that students applying for verification and re-evaluation of board examination answer sheets are not required to hold bank accounts with State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, or Indian Bank to complete the payment process.

The clarification came after reports surfaced that candidates were encountering difficulties on the verification and re-evaluation portal and believed payments could only be made through accounts in these four banks.

In a statement posted on X, CBSE explained that while payment gateways of SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank are integrated into the portal, applicants can use a variety of digital payment methods irrespective of their banking institution.

According to the board, candidates can make payments through UPI, net banking, credit cards and debit cards using any of the available payment gateways on the portal.

CBSE also noted that the system had been functioning smoothly, stating that nearly 40,000 students had successfully completed their applications through the portal by 9:30 am on Wednesday.

The board urged students and parents to rely only on official CBSE communications for accurate information regarding the verification and re-evaluation process.

The clarification follows criticism from Delhi Leader of Opposition Atishi, who alleged that the payment system restricted transactions to customers of the four listed banks.

In a social media post, Atishi criticised the Union government and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, claiming that students without accounts in SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda or Indian Bank would be unable to apply for re-evaluation.

The issue comes amid an ongoing debate over alleged irregularities in the evaluation of CBSE Class 12 answer sheets and complaints regarding technical glitches on the board's online portals.

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CBSE had recently launched its portal for verification of scanned answer books and re-evaluation requests, allowing students dissatisfied with their marks to seek a review of their evaluated answer sheets.