NEET-UG counselling likely to begin at month end
New Delhi (PTI): Counselling for NEET-UG, 2024, is expected to start by the end of this month, official sources said.
The counselling session was likely to begin in the first week of July. However, the counselling authorities had not notified any date or schedule.
The sources said the process of issuing permission letters to some medical colleges was still underway and additional seats were likely to be added.
"The date of counselling will be announced once the exercise gets over to ensure seats of the new colleges can be taken up in the first round itself," an official source said.
They said the counselling process might begin later this month.
Amid growing clamour for cancellation of the controversy-ridden National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), 2024, over alleged malpractice, the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Supreme Court on Friday that scrapping it without any proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality would be counterproductive as it could "seriously jeopardise" lakhs of honest candidates.
The apex court last month refused to defer the counselling process. It was hearing a petition seeking a direction to pause the process for two days.
The NTA, which conducts NEET-UG for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses, and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of media debates and protests by students and political parties over alleged large-scale malpractice -- ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation -- in the test held on May 5.
In the line of fire over the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG and PhD entrance NET, the Centre removed Subodh Singh as the NTA director general and notified a high-level panel headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief R Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the agency.
While NEET-UG is under the scanner over several irregularities, the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) was cancelled after the education ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised.
Both matters are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG -- were cancelled as a preemptive step. Fresh dates for both have been announced.
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KSRTC arranges special bus services with over 2,000 vehicles for dasara festival
Bengaluru: In view of the Dasara festival, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has arranged special bus services with over 2,000 vehicles to facilitate the travel of tourists arriving in Mysuru and other passengers availing holidays during this period.
Special bus services will be operated from October 9 to 14, connecting various locations in Karnataka and other states to Bengaluru. Buses will be departing from Kempegowda Bus Station, Mysuru Road Bus Station, and Shantinagar BMTC Bus Station. The services will cover destinations such as Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Sringeri, Horanadu, Shivamogga, Madikeri, Mangaluru, Davangere, Gokarna, Kollur, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Karwar, Ballari, Hosapete, Kalaburagi, Raichur, and more.
Additionally, special services will be available for Hyderabad, Chennai, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukottai, Madurai, Panaji, Shirdi, Pune, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and other nearby states.
As part of the arrangements, KSRTC will deploy 260 additional buses from Bengaluru's Mysuru Road Bus Station to Mysuru and operate 400 more vehicles to various tourist and religious destinations around Mysuru, such as Chamundi Hill, KRS Dam/Brindavan Gardens, Srirangapatna, Nanjangud, Madikeri, Mandya, Malavalli, H.D. Kote, Chamarajanagar, Hunsur, K.R. Nagar, and Gundlupet, totalling 660 special buses.
A direct ‘Fly Bus’ service will also be available from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, to Mysuru for passengers' convenience.
KSRTC will operate special one-day tour packages for tourists visiting Mysuru from October 3 to 15. Under the ‘Giridarshini’ package, transport will be provided to Bandipur, Gopalaswamy Hill, Biligirirangana Hill, Nanjangud, and Chamundi Hill (Rs. 400 for adults and Rs. 250 for children). The ‘Jaladarshini’ package will cover destinations such as the Golden Temple (Bylakuppe), Dubare Forest, Nisargadhama, Raja’s Seat, Harangi Reservoir, and KRS Dam (Rs. 450 for adults and Rs. 300 for children). The ‘Devadarshini’ package will provide connectivity to Nanjangud, Bluff, Mudukutore, Talakadu, Somanathapura, and Srirangapatna (Rs. 300 for adults and Rs. 200 for children).
These package services will depart from Mysuru in the morning, covering the respective destinations, and return to Mysuru by evening. Online ticket booking is available through the KSRTC official website.
