Bengal will extend its lockdown-like restrictions for another fortnight beginning May 31, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday adding the Board exams for Classes CII and X would be held between last week of July and the last week of August.
“Though I do not consider it a lockdown and will rather like to call it restrictions as most of the establishments are open within limited hours the Government will extend such restrictions beyond May 31 till June 15 after which a review will be done,” Banerjee said.
Accordingly the markets will remain open from 7 till 10 am everyday whereas saree and jewellery shops will open between 12 and 3 pm,
Banerjee said. Allowing the jute mills will to function with additional 10 percent attendance Banerjee said “there is huge pressure for products from Punjab and so we are increasing the attendance in jute industries by 10 percent and hence forward they will be allowed to work with 40 percent attendance.”
Banerjee also said that the Government would allow construction sites to function provided they got their workers vaccinated in private hospitals and made their in-house living arrangements for them.
The transports including local trains and metro, schools, colleges and government and private offices would remain closed at least till June 15, the Chief Minister said even as the daily infections in Bengal reported a marked reduction from more than 19,000 per day to 16,800 cases on Thursday. There were 153 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Board Exams
Speaking about Board exams the Chief Minister said “Class XII exams will be held only for the compulsory subjects (numbering 15) in the last week of July.” The exams will be completed by the first week of August where after the Class X exams would start with reduced syllabus and for reduced hours and for compulsory subjects (numbering seven) only .
With this, West Bengal has become one of the first states in the country to announce dates for board exams. “We understand the importance of these two examinations and so we are the first state to announce the schedule. Higher Secondary examination (Class XII) will be held ahead of Madhyamik (Class X) because after Class XII the students have to go for higher studies and have to take all-India level entrance tests which is closed by that time,” Banerjee said.
While 8.5 lakh students would appear for the HS exams 12 lakh will take the Madhyamik exams, Banerjee said adding both the tests would be of 1.5 hours instead of 3 hours with reduce d syllabus and question, the Chief Minister said. The Class X exam would be held in home centres.