NEET postponed to September 12 from August 1

Medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which was scheduled for August 1, will now be conducted on September 12, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced Monday.

'The NEET-UG 2021, will be held on 12th September across the country following COVID-19 protocols. The application process will begin from 5 pm tomorrow through the NTA website,' Pradhan said in a series of tweets.

'To ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols, face mask will be provided to all candidates at the centre. Staggered time slots during entry and exit, contactless registration, proper sanitisation, seating with social distancing etc. will also be ensured,' he said.

The Education Minister further said that in order to ensure social distancing norms, the number of cities where examination is conducted will be increased from 155 to 198.

The number of examination centres will also be increased from 3,862 used in the 2020.

Last year, the  (NEET) was conducted on September 13 amid strict precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam of whom 7,71,500 qualified.

From the last year, the admissions to MBBS course in 13 All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, are also being made through NEET following the amendment in National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

The test will be offered in 11 languages -- English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.