<span style="color: #222222;">Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has asked the Centre to permit the states to take a decision on holding the college examinations based on the locally prevailing COVID-19 conditions. In a letter to the Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' today, he said, the states may be allowed to work out their own methods of assessing students' performance, without compromising on quality and academic credibility.   <br />''<br />''Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the total number of COVID-19 cases has crossed one lakh 34 thousand mark with 3,965 people tested positive today.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's letter comes in the wake of the new guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission last Monday. It mandated the institutions to conduct examinations by this September for the final semester students. <br />''<br />''The Chief Minister said there are several constraints including the students' ability to reach the Examination Centres, as many of them are currently residing outside the district, or the state. He has reasoned that most of the colleges including the hostels and classrooms in the state have been converted into COVID Care Centres and the arrangement may continue for some more time.</span><br />''