New Delhi, August 27: Amid growing demands for postponement of NEET and JEE 2020, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Thursday said students want exams to be held. To back his claim, Ramesh Pokhriyal cited data, provided to him by Director General of National Testing Agency Vineet Joshi, which showed a majority of registered candidates of NEET and JEE have downloaded their admit cards. NEET, JEE 2020: NTA Chief Vineet Joshi Explains Why Exams Shouldn’t Be Postponed.

"NTA DG told me that 7.5 lakhs out of 8.58 lakhs candidates in JEE have downloaded admit cards. For NEET, over 10 lakhs out of 15.97 lakhs candidates downloaded admit cards in 24 hours. It shows that students want that exams are held at any cost," Pokhriyal told news agency ANI. "JEE exam centres have been increased to 660 from 570 while there are now 3,842 NEET centres, up from 2,546 for the convenience of students. Students have also been allotted exam centres of their choice," he added, indicating that elaborate arrangements have been made for holding the exams and the safety of students amid the coronavirus outbreak. NEET, JEE 2020 Guidelines: From Wearing Face Mask to Carrying Water Bottle, List of Fresh Instructions For Students Issued by NTA.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on September 13 and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) from September 1 to 6. However, the NTA is facing opposition from several quarters, including students, parents, educationists and leaders, who have been demanding postponement of NEET and JEE amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The government, on the other hand, seems adamant on holding the exams. Earlier, NTA chief Vineet Joshi reiterated that postponing NEET and JEE 2020 will "seriously hamper" the academic calendar.

"Shifting of the exam involves huge logistical exercise. Thousands of centres are to be contacted again for their availability. Also availability of supervisors and invigilators, movements of tonnes of materials and equipment like jammers and CCTV cameras are involved. It takes close to 75-80 days. If it is postponed again, it will have a serious effect on the academic calendar," Joshi was quoted by TOI as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2020 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).