Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal urges Centre to cancel CBSE exams  

Amid a continued rise in the number of fresh COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Centre to cancel the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations.

"There would be around six lakh students and around one lakh teachers who will come to the exam centres and in turn, these centres may turn into new Covid-19 hotspots. This fourth wave of the pandemic in Delhi is very critical and it is also affecting the youth and children. I would request the Centre to cancel the CBSE exams," he said while addressing a press conference.

"We have seen that in past few days several countries have cancelled exams. Even in India many states have called board exams.

"We can find some other alternatives for assessment of students' performances to declare their results," he added.

Kejriwal also said that the present Covid-19 situation in the capital city is critical as there were over 10,000 single-day cases being registered for the last few days, and therefore more dedicated beds would be required in the coming days.

"The Delhi government would convert schools into Covid care centres to increase the number of beds," he added.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also said that due to surge in Covid-19 cases in the city, Delhi government hospitals have been directed to conduct emergency surgeries only and to cancel planned surgeries for the next two to three months.

"Planed surgeries are in high number while emergency surgeries are usually less. Therefore, hospital authorities have been directed to admit non-covid patients only if it is an emergency case."