New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS): The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG 2023) will be conducted as per the schedule date on March 5, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Mandaviya said that the decision to not postpone NEET PG 2023 has been taken to streamline the process to avoid further delay in the exam and counselling process caused due to COVID-19.

The Minister was replying to a question by Congress member Gaurav Gogoi.

"It is important to prevent delays caused due to COVID-19 and hence I have informed the students' delegation about why the exam will not be rescheduled," he said, adding that earlier examinations were delayed by seven to eight months and later by four months. If I keep on delaying, such a situation will come.... It is very necessary to fix it and to conduct the entrance test on time".

"To ensure that no one is left out, the ministry has extended the cut-off date for all those MBBS students who are yet to complete their internship. The government has recently extended the internship cut-off date to August 11, 2023, so that no students across the country are ineligible to appear for the exam. Secondly, students were informed about five months earlier that the NEET PG exam 2023 will be held on March 5," the health minister said.