Overcoming abject poverty, deprivation and hardships, nearly 150 students of Telangana Social and Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions are likely to make it to the medical and dental colleges across the country.
These students who have cracked the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2019 were first generation learners from families of daily wage labourers, tea sellers, landless farmers, vegetable and fruit vendors, construction workers and masons hailing from SC/ST communities.
Of the 150 students who are likely to get MBBS or BDS seat this year, 100 are from social welfare and 50 from tribal welfare residential institutions.
This was made possible for students by Telangana Social and Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Societies with its specialized programmes namely ‘Operation Blue Crystal’ and ‘Operation Emerald’.
Meritorious students belonging to SC and ST communities were provided with free coaching for the competitive examinations free of cost as part of these programmes.
“My parents have been struggling day in and day out to make both ends meet. Owing to financial hardships, they could not send me to a private institute for NEET coaching.A poor student like me wouldn’t have dreamt of cracking NEET but for the free intensive long-term coaching being provided by the government. I express my gratitude to the Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for providing free coaching to SC and ST students on par with corporate coaching centres in the country,” said Kovvuri Rasagna of Social Welfare Residential College, Gowlidoddi, who secured all India 509 rank in SC category.
Another successful student Ramavath Sneha Latha from tribal welfare IIT Study Centre, Rajendra Nagar, who secured all India 802 rank in ST category said, “I would have dropped out from college and ended up as a victim of early child marriage, if not for the vision of the Chief Minister to put the poor SC and ST students into the orbit of higher education. My aim is to become a cardiologist and serve poor people in rural areas”.
Congratulating the successful students, Dr RS Praveen Kumar, Secretary, TSWREIS and TTWREIS said, “it’s a golden lettered moment in the history of both social and tribal welfare residential educational institutions. The entire credit goes to teachers for their commitment in transforming the lives of students from the most deprived sections of the society”.