The focus was on conducting JEE Mains 2020 till recently. After this the whole attention has shifted towards NTA NEET UG 2020 exam.

NTA NEET UG 2020 will be held on 13 September this year. This is is pen and paper test for which 15 lakh candidates have registered, which is much more than what was seen for JEE Mains 2020.

The main reason behind this was the outbreak of corona virus. The fear of contracting this infection is said to have kept many indoors.

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Compared to JEE Mains 2020, NTA NEET UG 2020 has received a fairly good deal of applications.

This is perhaps because medicine has managed to retain the earning prospects which was not the case with regards to engineering.

Many experts felt the job prospects for engineering students was on decline in the recent times and the repurcussions of this was seen on engineering admissions also.

Barring those colleges with good performance and placement records, most of the colleges did not see much intake for engineering.

Now it remains to be seen as to whether NTA NEET UG 2020 will see full attendance or not.

Will exam halls remain empty as they have with regards to JEE Mains 2020? Is the question bothering most of the minds currently.

Everything is being done to ensure NTA NEET UG 2020 would be conducted in a smooth manner. The number of exam centres was increased to 3,843 from 2,546 for NTA NEET UG 2020.

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Not only that, the number of candidates to be accomodated in a room in the exam centre was brought down to 12 from 24.

Even entry and exits at the exam centres for NTA NEET UG 2020 are to be staggered. All this is to ensure the following of social distancing.

The students and parents are divided as to whether NTA NEET UG 2020 is to be conducted or not? While one of the group is vouching for conducting the exam on time, the other wants postponement of the same.

A petition also has been filed in Supreme Court seeking postponement of NEET and JEE Exam. But the plea was dismissed.

Judge who heard the plea said the times were tough, however the life has to move forward. Judge further said any postponement will impact the life and career of students.

Petition is said to have been filed in the court by ministers from states ruled by opposition parties seeking postponement of both well-known competitive exams.

However, even that is said to have been dismissed. Coming back to NTA NEET UG 2020, sources from the exam conducting say students have to arrive at the exam centres wearing masks.

Each candidates will be given a three ply mask at the exam centre and they have to wear the same during the entire exam to do away any form of unfair means at the time of examination.

NTA NEET UG 2020 was meant to be conducted on 3 May this year. But things took a different path this year with the outbreak of corona virus.

Lockdown was imposed to regulate the spread of the virus, this got extended more than twice and little scope was left for conducting the exam and hence it has to be postponed to 26 July initially and lateron it got postponed to 13 September.

Ray of hope
While authorities stood firm as to the conducting of NTA NEET UG 2020, there are also people who have come forward to lend a helping hand to ensure NTA NEET UG 2020 aspirants reach their exam centre without hassles.

They started a portal EduRide which can be accessed by students appearing for NEET and register themselves and seek transport help to reach exam centre.

The prime focus for EduRide is needy students who cannot afford to travel to exam centres. The EduRide can be accessed at ‘https://www.eduride.in/’ for needy students to seek help.

Another to come forward to lend a helping hand were state goverments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

They also have assured students appearing for NTA NEET UG 2020 that they will provide them transportation.

Even Kolkata also did not stay behind when it comes to lending a helping hand for students appearing for NTA NEET UG 2020.

Kolkata Metro Railway will run special services for students on 13 September, the day of the exam to ensure students reach their exam centres.

Candidates attending NTA NEET UG 2020 will have to show their admit cards to board the train. Hope is always for betterment, prayer is that things should turn back normal at the earliest.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has collaborated with z21 Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm operated by its alumni. The z21 venture capital firm founded by IIT Kharagpur alumni will invest a total of Rs 2.5 crore in this partnership. The institute mentioned in a statement on Friday that the preliminary investment per team in this collaboration will be Rs 25 lakh.

As a result, IIT Kharagpur and z21 Ventures are joining hands to start an innovative program to provide final-year students with the necessary support and resources to create a successful startup.

The accelerator is created to leverage exceptional talent from IIT Kharagpur, turning ambitious ideas into market-ready startups. It will provide participants with unparalleled access to mentorship, funding, and premium resources. Centred on developing technological, scalable solutions to global challenges, the program will combine the latest research capabilities by IIT Kharagpur with the investment success cultivated by z21 Ventures to empower student entrepreneurs to make lasting, transformative changes.

• Mentorship: Direct guidance from successful entrepreneurs, industry experts, and venture capitalists.
• Seed Funding: Access to early-stage funding opportunities to ignite their ventures.
• Workshops and Training: Tailored sessions on business-building necessary features, including business development, product-market fit, fundraising, and scaling operations.
• Networking: Opportunities to connect with a wide network of investors, successful entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders, that promote partnership and business development.

The accelerator is designed to tap into the immense talent pool at KGP and translate bold ideas into marketable ventures. It offers a platform with unmatched access to mentorship, funding, and top-tier resources for participants. The focus of this program would be on building technical, scalable solutions to global challenges by leveraging IIT Kharagpur’s cutting-edge research along with proven investments in z21 Ventures. This is meant to empower student entrepreneurs to change the world.

First cohort and the structure of the program

The accelerator program will accept up to 10 teams in the first cohort. Throughout the program, these teams will continue to receive mentoring, strategic guidance, and seed funding in efforts to develop their ideas into products. Participants will also tap into the extensive network of z21 Ventures’ industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and experienced advisors dedicated to guiding them toward market success. Critical infrastructure support would also be offered by IIT Kharagpur even after graduation to ease the transition from idea development to execution.

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“Start-up Accelerator Program with z21 Ventures, founded by our esteemed IIT alumni, to launch the ‘KGP Forge Entrepreneur’ is a structured accelerator program created to teach the students about company building, basic company finance and company law, fundraising etc. It is a significant step toward empowering our BTech, MTech, and PhD students. This collaboration aims to provide budding entrepreneurs with mentorship, resources, financial support and professional networks sufficient to convert their ideas into successful startups”, said V K Tewari, Director, of IIT Kharagpur. KGP alumni can also participate in this transformative program, in case they collaborate with current KGP students on their founding teams.

Conclusion

The IIT Kharagpur and z21 Ventures collaboration marks a transformative step in advancing student entrepreneurship. With its first cohort set to support up to 10 teams, this accelerator program gives aspiring entrepreneurs a solid platform from which they can turn innovative ideas into impactful startups. Combining cutting-edge research from IIT Kharagpur with investment expertise from z21 Ventures, this initiative will focus on scalable solutions to global challenges. This is done through mentorship, funding, and comprehensive resources to equip the participants to make meaningful contributions and lay the foundation for generations yet to come of trailblazing innovators.