Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday waited for about 45 minutes at the Delhi airport after arriving from Kolkata to ensure that students appearing for the NEET-UG re-examination do not face any problems in reaching their respective examination centres.
According to the sources cited by news agency ANI, PM Modi arrived at Delhi airport around 1:15 pm. However, instead of departing for his residence, he chose to wait at the airport for about 45 minutes, as the NEET exam was scheduled to begin at 2 pm.
Decision taken to keep traffic running
The officials added that the decision was taken to ensure smooth traffic movement in the national capital during the crucial time when thousands of candidates were travelling to their respective examination centres.
The NEET-UG re-examination is being conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) after the initial paper, held on May 3, was leaked.
The aspirants have been under extreme pressure since the leak, paper cancellation, re-examination announcement and the over a month-long controversy over the issue.
The Prime Minister's movement is a major security concern and hence requires detailed traffic and security management measures. The roads are temporarily closed on designated routes during his commute.
The timing of his travel from the airport to his residence clashed with that of the NEET aspirants; therefore, by delaying his departure, the Prime Minister sought to avoid any disruptions that could impact students taking exams.
After the re-examination of NEET-UG began at 2 pm, Prime Minister Modi left for his home from the airport.
The NEET-UG re-examination is being held nationwide amid tight security measures after the previous exam was cancelled amid allegations of irregularities and paper leaks. With over 2.2 million candidates appearing at 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad, the NTA has made extensive security arrangements for the NEET-UG.