The Punjab Chief Minister has written to the Prime Minister seeking permission to let the State Government adhere to its July 3 decision of cancellation of university/college examinations in view of the exponentially rising Covid cases in the state. The Chief Minister has urged the Prime Minister to advise the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to reconsider its decision on mandatory conduct of final term exams by September.
With Punjab other state like Maharashtra ,Dehli ,Orrisa and West Bangal also opposed final year exam in view of corona crisis.
Meanwhile The human resource development (HRD) ministry will meet state education secretaries this week to sort out differences over conducting mandatory final-year and final-semester exams, with the apex education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) refusing to accept unilateral decisions by state governments to scrap these exams against its directives.
“Few states are not following protocol and announcing cancellation of exams at colleges and universities. What they are ignoring is that a degree without UGC approval does not mean anything. It’s there in the UGC Act, and it’s binding. They are putting students’ future at risk and creating confusion,” said an official.
The UGC guidelines are mandatory and, as of now, there is no going back, said the official, adding that the states’ position on cancelling exams may not stand legal scrutiny.
On the other side Himachal Pradesh: After allowing the entry of tourists to visit Himachal Pradesh, the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued the standard operating procedure for opening of tourism units in the State. The tourists who wish to visit Himachal Pradesh have to adhere to the guidelines issued by the state government. They have to register themselves on “Covid-19 e-pass.hp.gov.in” web portal 48 hours before visiting Himachal under tourist category. The tourists have to carry COVID test certificate (RTPCR) issued by ICMR certified laboratory with a negative report and this should not be more than 72 hours old. In addition, the tourists must have downloaded AarogyaSetu App on their mobiles.
