NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday met the Chief Ministers of seven states, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, amid concerns expressed by these state governments over the Central Government’s decision to hold the NEET and JEE examinations, amid the Novel Coronavirus pandemic and non-payment of GSt dues to the state governments.
Speaking at the meeting, which was also attended by Chief Ministers of Punjab (Amarinder Singh), Maharashtra (Uddhav Thackeray), Jharkhand (Hemant Soren), Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot) and Chhattisgarh (Bhupesh Baghel), the Chief Ministers also questioned the government on why the state’s share of GST has not been released yet.
Addressing the meeting, Ms Gandhi said, ”Holding the JEE and NEET exams during the pandemic will put the lives of thousands of students at risk. The government must consider postponing these exams to a safer time.”
Speaking at the meeting, the West Bengal Chief Minister said, ”The exams are in September. Why should the lives of students be put at risk? We have written to the PM, but there has been no response.
”It is my request to all state governments, let us do it together, let us go to the Supreme Court and postpone the exam for the time-being, until and unless the situation allows the students to sit for exam,” she added.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the NEET, JEE examination will see huge mass movement as students go to the exam centres with their families, which will pose a huge risk of Coronavirus spread.
”Exams must happen, but we are hurrying up. The situation in my state is that we have very few centres. To accommodate students, we will have to open all hotels and buses,”Soren said at meet .
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Thackeray said, ”There was a report from the US that about 97,000 children were infected by COVID-19, when schools were opened there. What will we do, if such a situation arises here?” (UNI)
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