Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Friday raised with Health Minister J P Nadda the issue of “impractical changes” in the examination centres of NEET-PG candidates from Kerala and ensure they are allotted centres within their state or in nearby locations.
In a letter to Nadda, the MP from Kerala’s Alappuzha said he wanted to bring to his urgent attention the plight of numerous candidates from Kerala and elsewhere who have applied for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for postgraduate medical courses (NEET-PG).
These aspirants have been subjected to a series of “distressing and impractical” changes regarding their examination centres and dates, culminating in a situation that demands immediate rectification, Venugopal said.
The NEET-PG exam, initially announced to be held on March 3, has been postponed multiple times, he said.
“Most recently, the exam was rescheduled to August 11. On July 19, aspirants were asked to select new exam centres. Disturbingly, candidates from Kerala were provided limited options within the state and a mandatory fourth option in faraway places like Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Despite assurances that the details of exam centres would be released on July 29, the candidates received emails only on July 31, merely indicating the city names, he said.
Specific centre details are to be disclosed on August 8, just three days before the exam, Venugopal pointed out.
“This situation has left around 1,000 candidates from Kerala with exam centers in places like Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, and many others in similar circumstances. The announcement of exam centres just 11 days before the exam date has created significant logistical challenges,” he said.
Reserved train tickets are unavailable and flight tickets are prohibitively expensive, he added.
“Finding safe accommodation is also a concern. Among the aspirants are pregnant women and recent mothers, who are particularly vulnerable to such last-minute changes, leading to severe mental trauma and stress. Adding to the ordeal, Kerala is currently experiencing heavy rains, floods and landslides,” Venugopal said.
These natural calamities have severely disrupted transportation even within the state, making it even more difficult for candidates to travel to distant exam centres, he said.
The severe landslides in Wayanad, which has claimed numerous lives, further exacerbates the situation, the Congress leader said in his letter to Nadda.
“Given these circumstances, allocating exam centres far from candidates’ home towns is not only impractical but also inhumane. I urge you to intervene immediately and ensure that NEET-PG candidates from Kerala are allotted exam centres within their state or at the very least, in nearby locations. This will alleviate the immense stress and logistical challenges they are currently facing,” Venugopal said.
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