All exams will be held per schedule, says Andhra government

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday said the class X and intermediate examinations would be held as per schedule amid a demand by the Opposition parties to cancel or postpone them in view of COVID-19 spread.

The degree and engineering examinations too would be conducted, the government said.

At a high-level review meeting on the prevailing COVID situation, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the authorities to hold the examinations by following all protocols.

Ensure that the students do not suffer any loss and conduct the examinations.

Follow all COVID protocols while conducting the exams, a press release quoted the Chief Minister as saying.

He asked the officials not to be lax in this.

All the Opposition parties - TDP, BJP, Jana Sena and Congress - have been demanding the government to either cancel or postpone the year-end examinations, particularly for classes X and intermediate, as the pandemic was again peaking.

Meanwhile, the release said Jagan had a telephonic conversation with Bharat Biotech Managing Director Krishna Yella and Hetero Drugs Managing Director B Parthasarathy Reddy asking them for adequate doses of the COVID vaccine and Remdesivir injections.

The Chief Minister has decided to provide free vaccination to an estimated 2.04 crore people in the 18-45 age group in the State.

He directed the Health Department officials to immediately place orders for the vaccine to meet the demand.