Mumbai: IIT-B all set to give you rides to exam centres

Pic for representation/Istock

Want to book a ride through a website to travel to your JEE/NEET examination centre? The students and alumni of IIT-Bombay are all set to make this possible. In just two days, a team of five - four IIT-B students and an alumnus - developed a website for the purpose. Not just students wanting to travel, even those who wish to volunteer for the job can now register through it.

'Open for all'

Speaking to mid-day, final year electrical engineering student at IIT-B and one of the members of the team, Kriti Kamna, said, "We are looking at our alumni in different parts of the country for help as volunteers, but it's open for all. In a span of a few hours after it was launched on Sunday, the website received over 200 registrations for both. We hope a lot of people get to know about it because that will ensure good service."

A screenshot of the website

While volunteers can register and help students by providing them rides to exam centres, others can also help with donations so that the students can avail cab services as well.

"The future of our nation - the students - are going to appear for various exams next month including JEEMains, JEEAdvance and NEET. After working hard for two years, no student should lose out on an opportunity due to unforeseen circumstances. We are motivated to help all aspiring candidates appearing for the exams," shared the team.

'Majority in favour of exams'

Meanwhile, even as there is a major uproar over the JEE and NEET examinations, a nationwide survey shows 63 per cent of the people are in favour of the exams. Ministers of six Opposition-ruled states have filed a review petition in the Supreme Court after the apex body decided in favour of conducting the exams. While these state governments are of the view that conducting the exams was not feasible amidst the pandemic, even students have taken to social media against it. But the findings of the survey reveal a different picture.

Kriti Kamna, final year electrical engineering student, IIT-B

Local Circles - a community social media platform, which enables citizens to escalate policy-related issues, has conducted a nationwide survey in which 10,600 respondents from across 244 districts have participated. As per the results, 63 per cent of the respondents said that the exams should be held in September as planned, while 31 per cent said they should be postponed to December or later. About 6 per cent of the people did not share their views. While there has been major opposition to conducting the entrance examinations, over 17 lakh admit cards have already been downloaded.

'It will get tougher'

Speaking to mid-day, Akshay Gupta, general manager of Local Circles, said, "If the JEE-NEET exams are postponed any further, students will lose a year. These students spent a number of years preparing for the exams. The seats are limited and the competition is tough. If the exams are cancelled, then the competition will be double of what it is now, the next academic year. The number of seats will remain the same while students will be more. Many such concerns have been cited by the respondents."

Link to the website: https://www.eduride.in/

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news