NEW DELHI: Taking a cue from a city-based businessman, who volunteered to sponsor the higher education of IIT-ian Vijay Kumar, Minister for Social Welfare Rajendra Pal Gautam on Monday announced that he would fund the higher studies of Shashi, another promising student who recently got admission to Lady Hardinge Medical College.
Vijay, who enrolled for the Delhi government enabling underprivileged students to get free coaching for higher studies and competitive examinations, secured a ticket to IIT-Delhi. Gautam said he didn’t take long to decide after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked more people to come forward and help economically backward students.
“I feel so happy to have made this announcement. No talent should go to waste due to want of funds or resources.
Since I’ve taken the responsibility of funding Shashi’s higher education, she is now a member of my family. I was inspired by the chief minister’s call to people to come forward and help needy students,” Gautam said.
Daughter of a daily wager, 19-year-old Shashi found a seat at the prestigious medical college after cracking the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET). She credited her success to the government’s free coaching scheme.
With her family members struggling to make ends meet and barely able to summon enough resources to fund her academic dreams, Shashi readily enrolled for the ‘Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana’, which was designed to provide coaching help students belonging to Scheduled Castes and low-income groups.
Vijay found a sponsor in Varun Gandhi, a Daryaganj-based businessman. Buoyed by the scheme’s success, the CM decided to expand its ambit to students from all economically weaker sections.