Candidates who were unable to attend JEE-Mains test centres in Maharashtra due to severe rain and landslides will be given another chance to take the engineering entrance exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday.

“In light of the heavy rains and landslides in Maharashtra, to assist the Maharashtra student community, I have advised the @DG_NTA to grant another opportunity to all candidates who may not be able to reach the test centre for JEE (Main)-2021 Session 3,” Pradhan said in a tweet.

Also Read: 34 NDRF teams conduct rescue operations in flood-affected Maharashtra

“Students from Kolhapur, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigadh, Sindhudurg, Sangli & Satara, who are unable to reach their test centres on 25 and 27 July for JEE (Main)-2021 Session 3 need not panic. They will be given another opportunity,and the dates will be announced soon by the National Testing Agency (NTA),” he tweeted.

At least 76 people have perished, 38 have been wounded, and 59 have gone missing in Maharashtra as a result of floods and landslides caused by torrential rains.

The floods have wreaked havoc on parts of the coastal Konkan districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri, as well as the Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra. Aside from that, the Satara area has been hit by severe rainfall.

Also Read: Monstrous Maharashtra monsoon breaks 40-year rain record. 10 points

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has upped the number of squads from 26 to 34 for conducting rescue operations in Maharashtra’s coastal districts affected by landslidesand floods caused by heavy rains.

After consulting with the state administration, these teams are being deployed in impacted regions of Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Satara, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Pune, and Nagpur for rescue and relief operations, according to a representative for the federal contingency force.