One-time password for engineering counselling

Move follows reports of students being taken for a ride during web counselling

May 05, 2014 12:45 am | Updated July 05, 2016 09:04 am IST - HYDERABAD:

Worried with reports of engineering aspirants being taken for a ride during the web counselling process, authorities are planning to introduce a One Time Password (OTP) facility, akin to banking transactions on the web.

This is apart from the other security measures already in place. In the new process when the students enter the website of the engineering admissions to give their college and course preference and fill in his personal details, a OTP will be sent to their registered mobile numbers.

Only after entering the OTP the students will be able to enter their options.

“This method will ensure that others cannot access students’ options and change them as the password will be valid only for a certain period of time. Students will get a new password every time they enter the website,” an official said.

To approach NIC

“We will approach the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to develop the concerned software. The method is being successfully used by all banks for the transactions done by their customers through net banking.”

Despite the awareness created by the authorities not to share the password given through a scratch card previously, complaints were lodged with the officials that their options were changed without their knowledge.

Enquiries revealed that some Internet centres in collusion with some colleges stole the passwords of students and changed the options to increase admissions in those colleges. Students, mostly from districts, were also misled by colleges in the name of assisting them.

Students lured

They were also lured with promises of free transport and hostel facility. Couple of years ago few colleges successfully adopted this method in Khammam district, and were caught in an enquiry.

Colleges have been trying to adopt these illegal means to fill up their seats that were going vacant in view of the excess engineering seats in the State.

The fee reimbursement scheme that assures fee to the colleges for four years for the admitted students is another temptation for such criminal ideas.

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