Odisha CM Patnaik dials PM Modi; requests postponement of NEET, JEE exams amid pandemic

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone on Thursday and requested him to postpone National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2020 [NEET] and Joint Entrance Examination Main [JEE] examinations in the light of COVID-19 pandemic and flood in the state.

"Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi over the telephone this morning and requested him for postponement of NEET and JEE in view of COVID situation and also as many parts of our state are in the grip of the flood. So a student may face difficulties in appearing in the exam," a statement from Odisha CMO read.

Odisha Chief Minister had on Tuesday urged Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to postpone NEET 2020 and JEE Main 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Reiterating the request for postponing the exams, Patnaik added, "Whenever NTA holds these tests, it may be directed to open centres in all the 30 districts of the State so that students have to travel maximum 2-3 hours to reach the test centres and go back home the same day and thus ensure maximum participation of the students in these tests."

Heavy rainfall in many parts of Odisha resulted in a flood-like situation. The water level has risen in several parts of the state making transportation next to impossible as people in Bhadrak were seen wading through waist-deep water while people from Hasnabad area witnessed were using rubber to go from one place to another. These flood-like situations coupled with Pandemic would cause difficulties for students while appearing for the examinations, contended Patnaik in his conversation with PM Modi.

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Education Minister speaks on JEE & NEET

The Union Education Minister on Wednesday stated that the exam dates had been finalised after two deferments keeping in mind the order of the Supreme Court and the current situation of the pandemic. The Education Minister revealed that about 85% of the students appearing for the exams had already downloaded their admit cards and were ready to sit for their tests after much preparation.

While the Centre is facing criticism from the Opposition for conducting JEE Mains and NEET in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, over 100 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams any further will mean compromising the future of students.

Over 14 lakh admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams of NEET and JEE were downloaded after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released them on Wednesday, even as the issue was discussed extensively during a meeting of Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states who decided to jointly move the Supreme Court to seek deferment of these exams.

While the NEET is planned on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

(With ANI inputs)

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