Examinations for undergraduate students of 13 state-run universities in Maharashtra will be held online, state minister Uday Samant said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, the minister for higher and technical education said that he also plans to request the state government to include exam-related work in the essential services category.

"There are strict restrictions imposed to break the chain of the COVID-19 spread in the state. Hence, we have decided to conduct examinations for undergraduate students, from first to third year, online," Samant said.

The minister said he will also request the state administration to include some exam-related works in the essential services category.

The decision has been taken after consulting vice-chancellors of universities, he said.

Several exams of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and Gondwana universities had already been conducted online earlier, he said.

"We are also trying to inoculate students in the age group of 18 to 25 years. There are some 37 lakh students in all these universities who can be vaccinated at their respective institutions," Samant said, adding that final decision in this regard is yet to be taken.