Bhubaneswar: A day after issuing guidelines for extension of lockdown and phased re-opening, Odisha government on Tuesday effected minor changes and allowed conduct of examination in schools and colleges.
As per a notification issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), “Schools, colleges, other educational, training, coaching institutions, etc. will remain closed till July 31, 2020. However, conduct of examinations shall be permitted.”
As per sources, detailed guidelines on how the examinations will be conducted adhering to COVID-19 and social distancing norms will be released by concerned department officials soon.
It is pertinent to mention here that several semester examinations in colleges are pending in the State and guidelines released yesterday had stipulated that educational institutions in the state will remain closed till July 31. There was no mention of conduct of pending exams.
Earlier, Odisha government had ordered a complete shutdown on Saturdays and Sundays in 11 districts keeping in view the spurt in COVID-19 cases. The shutdown shall be imposed in the districts of Ganjam, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur. Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Bolangir, on all Saturdays and Sundays till June 30, 2020.
During this shutdown only the following activities shall be allowed:
All medical establishments including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes,including medicine stores. Movement of Ambulance and all medical personnel.
. District and Municipal Administration/ Police/ Fire Services
. Central & State Government officials on emergency duty
. Telecom services
. Petrol pumps
. Print and Electronics Media identified by Commissionerate/ District Police
. Water Supply, sanitation and sewerage workers, Electricity supply and distribution
. Movement of goods and good carriers, whether loaded or unloaded
Service sector industries, including IT/ ITeS, Hotel & Hospitality units
.All Agriculture, Horticulture & Allied activities
. All Dairy Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Allied activities
. Movement of rail and air transport
. Road transport on highways, road movement of transiting vehicles, movement of Public Transport, private vehicles and taxis (including cabs by aggregators like Ola, Uber, etc.) to and from airports, railway station and bus terminals/ stands stops, for facilitating movement of passengers by air, rail and road. Marriages and Funerals, with permission of local authority.
Also Read: NO 2nd, 4th Semester Exams For Odisha Plus-III Students
(Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena)