“Heartfelt Gratitude”: Yogi Adityanath On PM’s Call To Cancel 12th Exams

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has welcomed the decision to cancel Class 12 board exams, made at a meeting this evening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting was preceded by requests from multiple states to scrap the exam in view of the second wave of Covid, which had brought healthcare system in the country to its knees.   

Both CBSE and CISCE Class 12 exams were cancelled today. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office, quoting him, read: "Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation...  The health and safety of our students is of utmost importance and there will be no compromise on this aspect."

PM Modi had also tweeted announcing the decision.

"Government of India has decided to cancel the Class XII CBSE Board Exams. After extensive consultations, we have taken a decision that is student-friendly, one that safeguards the health as well as future of our youth," his post read.

After the announcement, Yogi Adityanath tweeted: "Respected Prime Minister has decided to cancel the 12th board examination of CBSE in view of the Covid pandemic. This decision is an important step towards protecting the health of students across the country. Heartfelt gratitude to the respected Prime Minister on behalf of all students and parents."

Class 10 state board exams in the state have already been cancelled and the government had said earlier that they would consider holding a shorter version of the Class 12 boards in July if the pandemic situation had improved.

Uttar Pradesh has been one of the states hit worst by the virus.

Government data this evening showed that with 179 fresh COVID-19 fatalities reported, the number of deaths in the state rose to 20,672. The total number of cases touched 16,92,709 with as many as 1,317 fresh cases reported on Tuesday.

But critics have cast doubt on the official numbers, citing the thousands of bodies buried in the sand banks of the river Ganga and found floating downstream.