The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) April session has been postponed amid a massive surge in the COVID-19 caseload. The JEE Main April exams were scheduled from April 27 to April 30 for BTech candidates. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the postponement of the entrance exam to ensure the safety of the candidates. “Looking at the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well-being of the candidates and examination functionaries, it has been decided to postpone the JEE Main 2021 April session,” reads the official notification.
This year, NTA is organizing JEE Main in four sessions. Two of these sessions have already been completed in February and March. The number of candidates who have appeared in February session is 6,20,978 and in March is 5,56,248, as per the data shared by NTA. “In the meantime, candidates can practice chapter-wise tests on the NTA Abhyas App from the comfort of their homes,” the official statement added. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' took to Twitter and said, "Given the current COVID-19 situation, I have advised NTA to postpone the JEE (Main) – 2021 April Session. I would like to reiterate that the safety of our students and their academic career are Education Ministry's and my prime concerns right now".This comes after several JEE Main candidates has requested to postpone the entrance exam due to rising COVID-19 cases and the curbs imposed across the states by using #postponejeemain2021. The JEE Main candidates have been asked to visit the official websites of NTA www.nta.ac.in and jeemain.nta.nic.in for the latest updates.