New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS): Amid opposition from different quarters, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said on Friday that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be held as scheduled on September 13, while the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) will be held from September 1 to 6.

The NTA cited Monday's Supreme Court order: "We find that there is absolutely no justification in the prayer made for postponement of the examination in question relating to NEET UG-2020 as well as JEE (Main) April 2020. In our opinion, though there is a pandemic situation, but ultimately life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put in peril for long and full academic year cannot be wasted."

Earlier in the day, IANS reported that government sources had indicated that the exams may go ahead as scheduled with "elaborate arrangements".

The sources claimed that there has been a rise of almost 50 per cent in NEET centres this year as compared to last year, and indicated that enough arrangements are in place to hold the competitive exams.

Further, in order to facilitate the candidates in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the NTA had provided the JEE (Main) candidates with an option to change their centre cities five times, and as many as 63,931 candidates have availed the same. Similar option was also given to the NEET (UG) candidates, and about 95,000 of them have availed it.

"The NTA conveys its best wishes to all the candidates in these examinations," the NTA said.

Earlier on Friday, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to direct the Education Ministry to postpone NEET and JEE till Diwali, and even warned of suicides by youth if the tests were not deferred.

In his "urgent letter" to Modi, Swamy said: "Holding the exams, in my opinion, may lead to a large number of suicides by youths around the country."