Remote centres outside Kerala force candidates to drop out of NEET-PG

WITH just two days remaining for the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG), on August 3, many medical graduates are shocked to get examination centres outside the state — in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

- UNNIKRISHNAN S & ANU KURUVILLA @T'Puram/Kochi

Many candidates had carefully chosen cities near their residences as preferred centres during the application process. However, many were stunned to be assigned locations hundreds of kilometres away.

"I'm not appearing for the exam this time. I've been allotted a centre in Telangana, and I'm eight months pregnant. The travel and stay costs are too high for me and my family," said Dr Kavitha (name changed), a candidate from Thiruvananthapuram. "Other young mothers in my batch are opting out too. We've paid ₹4,000 for the application, and now we're forced to abandon the attempt."