Explained Editor’s note | CBSE’s odd behaviour, India’s United Nations pushback, & a rebuilt temple

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Dear Express Explained reader,   Many of you who share the stress of your wards (and even those who don’t) about their board exams, would have read with considerable bewilderment news of the absurd passage that CBSE included as a comprehension question for Class 10 examinees this week and subsequently “withdrew” after criticism in Parliament. Not long ago, CBSE had apologised after asking students a question about the “anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat” in 2002. This seeming sloppiness is embarrassing — and while many specific details about how exactly CBSE goes about setting question papers remain a secret, Sukrita Baruah put together what we do know about the systems and processes at the testing agency. Do read.   India and Russia joined hands this week to block a proposal at the United Nations that would have created a formal mechanism for the Security Council (along with the UNFCCC) to deliberate on issues related to climate change. To those who follow the international politics of climate change negotiations, this was only to be expected. Amitabh Sinha explained why this should be so — the nature of the stresses in the global battle against climate change, and the reasons for India’s opposition to the proposal.   We published two explainers from the world of economy and finance this week that I’d like to flag to you. Aanchal Magazine and Karunjit Singh wrote about the amended Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act whose people-friendliness the Prime Minister spoke about, and George Mathew analysed the Reserve Bank’s November 2020 decision to permit banks to “co-lend with all registered NBFCs (including HFCs) based on a prior agreement”.   Then there were two short, interesting pieces on what you might broadly categorise under ‘culture’. Santanu Chowdhury explained the “intangible cultural heritage” of Durga Puja in Kolkata, which has just been recognised and put on a prestigious global list by UNESCO. And Mehr Gill and Adrija Roychowdhury wrote about the Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka that was destroyed by Pakistani soldiers a half century ago, and the rebuilt avatar of which was opened by President Ram Nath Kovind.   Stay safe and stay aware. Keep reading The Indian Express Explained.   Sincerely,    Monojit   (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com)    If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here

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From the Explained section       JCP's proposals for data Bill, liability of social media firms, and the implications           The Ramna Kali temple, Dhaka landmark rebuilt from the ruins           Why it is now mandatory to stand during Tamil Nadu's State Song

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