Organisers of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) are setting up 40 helpline centers for students in the four southern states in order to make the application procedure trouble free. JEE-2010 is being organized by IIT-Chennai which would collaborate with Computer Maintenance Corporation (CMC).

The organizing Chairman Dr T S Natarajan said that they would like the application process to be convenient to event those who have no access to computers and internet.

This year IIT Chennai will be organizing the chairmanship of JEE’s organization rotated between 15 IITs in India. Mr Natarajan said that applicants would be having 40 helpline centers and applicants can walk into any of these for assistance from personnel for filling the forms and completing other formalities.

The CMC centers will ensure the applications are filled rightly. In Bangalore CMC would set up two helpline centers with one in Palace Road campus. It would also have centers in Bidar, Bellary, Bijapur, Chitradurga, Chickmagalur, Chamarajnagara, Davangere, Gadag, Gulburga, Haveri, Hubli, Karwar, Koppal, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi and Mysore, with a view to assist applicants from rural and semi-urban areas.

Dr Natarajan also said that the application fee has been slashed by 10% for this year’s exam. There would be facility to apply online as well. The process of applying online will commence from November 1^st and will be open till December 7^th.

The cost of application is Rs 1000 for general and OBC applicants and Rs 500 for girls and Scheduled Caste/Tribe and Physically Disabled (PD). The reduction in online applications will be Rs 900 for general and OBC categories and Rs 450 for SC/ST/PD and females.

One important change made in this off-line application procedure this year is that students could fill up the forms and “resubmit them” in the same designated branch of Indian Bank at their respective places. They will in turn send all the forms to the JEE Organising Committee at IIT-Chennai.

IIT aspirants could also apply off-line by buying the application form from designated branches of the Nationalized ‘Indian Bank’ in the ‘Madras Zone (comprising the four Southern States and Puducherry UT).

Dr Natarajan added that two toll free numbers would be set up soon in addition to help students in English and Hindi languages. The numbers of the toll free lines will be notified soon.

Biometric fingerprinting will be used this time as an additional basis for identification both while attending the classes and while taking the exams.

The general category students can attend counselling online after the publication of the results while others belonging to special categories have to visit the campus as usual.
JEE-2010 will be held on April 11 to fill 9,000 seats in 15 IITs across the country. Organisers expect  5 lakh applications this year, compared to 4 lakh during JEE-2009.