NEET-JEE Row: BJP accuses opposition of using students for politics, backs exam schedule

Amid the increasing clamour for postponement of JEE and NEET exams, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya on Wednesday alleged that the opposition was using students for furthering their political agenda. He mentioned that Karnataka, Kerala and Goa had conducted exams for Class 10 with all COVID-related precautions. According to him, there was no reason why JEE and NEET exams cannot be held in a similar manner. 

To buttress his point, he listed the social distancing measures undertaken by the National Testing Agency. Additionally, Malviya also lashed out at West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for her opposition to holding the JEE and NEET exams on time. Currently, Banerjee is participating in a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the examination issue along with Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. 

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NTA refuses to postpone exams

On Tuesday, the NTA reiterated that the JEE and NEET exams would be held as scheduled. While the JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. The NTA assured all the students of a safe environment in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

The NTA observed that over 99% of the candidates in both exams had got their first choice of centre cities. Additionally, the number of exam centres for JEE Main has been increased from 570 to 660. On the other hand, the NEET exam will now be conducted in 3843 centres instead of 2546 centres. In the case of JEE Main, the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from 1.32 lakh to 85,000.

While the candidates for JEE Main shall be seated in alternate seats, the number of candidates per room in the NEET exam will be 12 instead of 24. Moreover, the entry and exit of candidates shall be staggered. The candidates have also been issued an advisory on proper social distancing. Also, the NTA has written to the state governments to extend support for ensuring that the candidates are able to reach their exam centres on time.

Read: Holding NEET-JEE Now Favours Rich Kids; Poor Haven't Had Access: Subramanian Swamy