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Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Tuesday directed all the states to start evaluating the answer sheets of the board exams of Class 10 and Class 12 and facilitate the CBSE. "The evaluation process must begin and states must facilitate CBSE to evaluate answer sheets of the students in their respective states. States, where Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Vidyalaya are approved but could not be started due to lack of land or running on less capacity, are requested to transfer the land quickly so that the children of the state can get benefit from it," the minister said today.
The HRD minister made the comments at a meeting held through video-conferencing with state education ministers. He also said that mid-day meals would be provided to students even during the summer vacation in schools in view of the lockdown imposed to fight COVID-19.
"During lockdown, ration is being provided under mid-day meal scheme for the children to get adequate and nutritious food. Approval is being given for providing mid-day meal during summer holidays of schools, on which an additional expenditure of about Rs 1,600 crore will be made. In addition, under the mid-day meal scheme, an ad-hoc grant of Rs 2,500 crore is being issued for the first quarter," Nishank said.
"In wake of COVID-19, the annual central allocation of cooking cost (or procurement of pulses, vegetables, oil, spices and fuel) under the mid-day meal scheme is enhanced to Rs 8,100 crore from Rs 7,300 crore, an increment of 10.99 per cent," he added.
During the meeting, Delhi placed a few suggestions. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia suggested that it was not possible to hold the remaining CBSE Board exams for Class 10 and Class 12.
"Not feasible now to conduct pending board exams for class 10, 12. Students should be promoted on the basis of performance in internal exams like it was done for classes 9, 11," Sisodia said.
"Curriculum for the next session be reduced by 30 per cent, exams like JEE, NEET be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabus," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
