IIT Bombay issues travel passes to GATE candidates in view of 'Chakka Jam'

The agitating farmers have called for a nationwide 'Chakka Jam' on Saturday. Keeping this in mind, candidates appearing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2021, have been issued special certificates by IIT Bombay enabling their travel on the day.

Agitating farmers said that they will block national and state highways for three hours, starting 12pm to 3pm to register their dissent against the harassment of protesters. GATE papers will start at 9.30am on Saturday and will be held in two sessions - morning and afternoon. While the first session of exam is between 9.30am and 12.30pm, the afternoon session is between 3pm and 6pm.

In order to facilitate the students and save them from any trouble during their travels to and from the exam centre, IIT Bombay, the organising body of the exam this year, has issued special certificates to the candidates.

"The GATE 2021 office has prepared a special certificate requesting all concerned to allow you to pass through any blockade that you may face on your way. These certificates have been emailed to all those who have the exam on 6th (February). Please take a print out of this document and carry with you while travelling," said Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay.

"In view of the possibility of transport blockade on February 6, all GATE candidates are requested to arrive at the exam centre well ahead of time. Please carry sufficient food and water in case you need to arrive much earlier or reach home late," Chaudhuri said in a social media post.

"Though in the admit card, instructions' point number 12 already says that admit card can be used as a movement pass in case of any restrictions, to add to that, this additional support letter is issued to whom so ever it may concern, in both English and Hindi to ease the movement of candidates to their exam locations," said Deepankar Choudhury, organising chairperson and professor at IIT Bombay.

GATE is an entrance exam taken by undergraduate students and graduates for admissions to masters and PhD programmes of technology institutes such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Science (IISc). The GATE score is also a qualifier for placements in public sector undertakings. Qualifying in the exam is also mandatory for seeking financial assistance from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other government scholarships/assistantships.