PRAYAGRAJ, June 18 -- The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, commonly known as UP Board, is to step up efforts to combat age fraud in High School examinations. Addressing the issue at the annual general meeting of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) held in New Delhi on June 14, UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh announced plans to introduce stronger, technology-driven safeguards to prevent the misuse of forged documents in student registrations. The problem is particularly prevalent in the sports sector, where overage athletes manipulate their birth records to compete in younger age categories. As the largest school board in the country, the UP Board has been a prime target for such fraudulent activities. Singh said, "We are committed to making the registration process more secure and foolproof." One of the key solutions under consideration is the integration of Aadhaar and APAAR ID (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) into the student registration process. "Linking these digital identity systems will help ensure data authenticity and minimise age-related fraud," Singh said, after returning to Prayagraj from the meeting. The APAAR ID is a 12-digit unique student identifier launched under the Union government's 'One Nation, One Student ID' initiative, as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It allows students to digitally store and access their academic records, thus serving as a lifelong academic identity. At the SGFI meeting, Uttar Pradesh was also recognised for organising the best sporting events, with secretary Bhagwati Singh receiving the award on behalf of the state. The gathering also ratified previous resolutions and discussed future action plans and strategic initiatives to strengthen the education ecosystem....