After nationwide protest over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) 2022 or NEET PG 2022, the test has been postponed by over two months. The test will now be conducted on May 21, the National Board of Examination (NBE) has announced. The development comes a day after the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya verbaly agreed to postpone the test. It is pertinent to mention that a delegation from Delhi had met the Union health minister on February 3, a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a plea filed by six MBBS students seeking postponement of exam as it was clashing with the counselling of the NEET PG 2021. The exam was earlier scheduled for March 12.
In a letter to the National Board of Examination (NBE), the health ministry said that the exam was postponed following representations received from doctors regarding request to delay the medical entrance test.
“Many interns could not have participated in NEET PG 2022 counselling by May/June. Hence, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has decided to postpone the NEET PG 2022 to May 21,” said the ministry’s letter to NBE executive director M Bajpai.
With the change in exam dates, the online window for submission of applications for NEET PG 2022 has also been extended. The earlier deadline was February 5 and it has now been extended till March 25.
Hundreds of MBBS graduates had been opposing the dates as were not eligible for appearing in the test because their internship got halted due to their COVID-19 duty. Petitioners submitted that they were victims of circumstances and were not informed at any point of time while serving COVID-19 duties that it would tantamount to a situation where they will not be eligible to appear for the NEET-PG.
