BHUBANESWAR: More than 88 percent medical aspirants from Odisha appeared the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 on Sunday, amid special measures in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The test was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) at 83 centres in seven cities of the State. Rourkela recorded highest turnout of 90.10 per cent, while Bhubaneswar was lowest with 87.19 per cent. Cuttack reported 88.50 per cent attendance, while Sambalpur and Angul reported 88.10 and 88 per cent respectively.
Despite fear of Covid-19 spread, the turnout of candidates for NEET was much higher than JEE (Main) held between September 1 and 6. Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, PK Mohapatra said the State Government and district administrations left no stone unturned for smooth conduct of the exams. “Adequate measures were taken at all seven cities for safety of the students,” he said.
As many as 37,459 students from the State had enrolled for NEET. Around 1,766 out of 1,960 candidates appeared at five centres in Rourkela, while 13,412 out of 15,393 candidates turned up at 30 centres in Bhubaneswar. Similarly, 3,443 out of 3,887 candidates in Balasore; 3,506 out of 3,947 in Berhampur; 4,319 out of 4,902 in Sambalpur and 5,265 out of 5,949 in Cuttack appeared the three-hour test that commenced at 2 pm and continued till 5pm. Around 1,104 students also appeared in Angul.
To ensure social distancing, entry and exit of candidates into the examination centres was done in a staggered manner from 11 am. The gates, however, remained opened till 1.30pm. Candidates were provided mask and sanitiser and were scanned with thermal gun before their entry into the classrooms.
Sourabh Kumar Panda, a candidate from Nabarangpur, who appeared the test in Bhubaneswar expressed satisfaction on the arrangements. The district administrations facilitated free transport, accommodation and breakfast, lunch and dinner to him and his father for three days.
“Though I was apprehensive about our travel in this situation, I was pleased with the measures put in place by the State Government,” Sourabh said. Khurda Collector Sanat Kumar Mohanty said only 12 students were allowed to sit in each classroom, while students with high temperature or any other symptoms were allowed to appear the test in isolation rooms.Candidates tested positive for Covid-19 will be allowed to appear the test at a later date, to be decided by NTA, he said.