NEET PG 2021 postponed amid Covid-19 spike, new date will be announced later
The decision comes soon after nine doctors filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking postponement of the exam.
Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday announced that NEET 2021 is being postponed in the wake of the massive spike of Covid-19 cases in the country.(PTI)
"Decision has been taken keeping wellbeing of our young medical students in mind," the minister tweeted. The next date will be decided later, the minister adde
NEET PG examination is for doctors seeking admission in MS, MD courses. The examination was earlier scheduled to be held in January but was postponed because of the pandemic.
A group of doctors of Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking the postponement of the examination, before the Centre announced its decision. In their plea, the doctors said that the candidates who would be appearing in the exam are doctors treating Covid-19 patients daily. the petition also mentioned that when the exam in January got cancelled, the pandemic situation of the country was not this perilous.
At a time where there is a sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country and an acute shortage of doctors, the notification for the examination on April 18 was against public interest, the plea said referring to the deferment of CBSE class 12 exams, a decision taken on Wednesday.
The exam is conducted by the National Board of Examination, which also released admit cards for the exam.
The demand to postpone NEET PG 2021 was raised by several political leaders, with DMK chief MK Stalin voicing his concerns on Thursday. "CBSE exams have now got cancelled due to the second wave of #COVID19. With increasing cases and fatalities, when our doctors are fighting hard against all odds, is this the right time to hold National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for PG courses," Stalin tweeted.
As India recorded over 2 lakh fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest ever since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, several states decided to postpone Board examination as holding exams at the times does not appear judicious.
