JEE, NEET row: Odisha govt to provide free transport, accommodation in September for applicants

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday announced that it will provide free transport and accommodation to candidates appearing in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in the first week of September. This was announced by Chief Secretary AK Tripathy. “Keeping in view the prevailing pandemic as well as flood situation in the state, the government will provide free transport and accommodation to candidates of the JEE,” he told reporters. The chief secretary said that as many as 37,000 candidates are likely to appear in the examination from 26 centres spread across seven different towns including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The JEE examination will be held between 1 and 6 September. “The district administrations, police and regional transport officers are directed to facilitate the movement, transportation and lodging of all the candidates and their guardian,” he said. He urged JEE aspirants to share details with nodal ITI principals by 31 August so that necessary arrangements could be made for their transport and accommodation smoothly. The chief secretary said the government has decided to relax restrictions on the movement of the people imposed due to the pandemic situation. “The candidates can show their admit cards which will be treated as passes for their movement,” he said. This apart, Tripathy said, the government will also provide buses and keep the candidates in hostels of different ITIs, polytechnic institutes, engineering colleges, both private and government. “However, the candidates have to give prior information to the government about their schedule travel to examination centres,” he said. Skill Development secretary Sanjay Singh said that the principal of one ITI (Industrial training institutes) in each district has been selected as the nodal officer to whom the students can contact for availing the facilities of transportation and accommodation for the JEE purpose. Singh said similar arrangements will also be made for the students appearing in the NEET examination.