Jharkhand CM seeks postponement of JEE & NEET exams, flags COVID-19 restrictions in state

On Thursday, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren requested Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank to postpone the JEE and NEET exams in "public interest". Acknowledging that the aforesaid exams are extremely critical in a student's career, he stressed that safety and mental peace was of utmost importance. Soren observed that conducting exams on such a scale entails the operation of public transport, hotels, lodges, and restaurants owing to the movement of candidates and their guardians.

In his letter, he stated that the Jharkhand government had not commenced public transport and allowed hospitality units to reopen because of the COVID-19 crisis. According to him, this would lead to logistics issues for the candidates and their guardians. Thereafter, Soren pointed out that students living in containment zones would find it difficult to move out of the area. He also noted that COVID-19 infected candidates will not be able to appear for the JEE and NEET exams. 

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'Career of our students is our priority' 

Earlier in the day, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the career of students was the first priority for the Union government. Reiterating that the JEE and NEET exams would be held as scheduled, he maintained that one year of the students should not be wasted. Moreover, he quoted the Supreme Court order which found no merit in postponing the JEE and NEET exams. 

Pokhriyal added that the Union Health Secretary had written to top administrative officials in states to ensure that the safety of candidates is given paramount importance. Additionally, he hailed the guidelines issued by the National Testing Agency for preventing the spread of COVID-19. While the JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. 

Read: Jharkhand Reports 1,056 New COVID-19 Cases, 12 More Deaths

COVID-19 crisis in India

Currently, there are 33,10,234 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 25,23,771 patients have recovered while 60,472 fatalities have been reported. Meanwhile, a three-judge bench of Supreme Court comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, and MR Shah will pronounce on Friday its judgment on a bunch of pleas challenging the UGC's directive to conduct final year university exams by September-end. The governments of Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Odisha have opposed holding the exams amid the persistent threat of COVID-19 across the country. 

Read: Shibu Soren, Diagnosed With COVID-19, Shifted To Hospital