KENDRAPARA: Acute poverty threatens to derail the dream of 19-year-old Somya Ranjan Sahoo who has secured admission to the prestigious SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack after performing well in the NEET-UG examination.
Son of a landless daily wager from Sahabajpur village under Bijayanagar gram panchayat in Mahakalapada block, Somya scored 574 marks in NEET-UG and secured an All-India Rank of 21,051. He recently received intimation to pursue MBBS at SCB Medical College, Cuttack.
However, he needs Rs 40,000 for counselling and admission, with the deadline being August 31. His financially distressed parents have been unable to arrange the amount. “As I do not have money for admission, I have been urging people in our locality to help me pursue my dream. But nobody has paid heed to my pleas. I need government assistance for my admission,” said Somya.
Somya cleared Plus II Science from Kendrapara Autonomous College in 2024. He was pursuing Plus III with Physics Honours when he cleared the NEET examination.
Somya lives with his parents in a two-room mud-walled, thatched house built on government land. Apart from being a daily wager, his father Kailash Chandra Sahoo also works as a part-time cook.
Kailash said he was overwhelmed with emotion when he learnt that his son had secured a good rank in NEET. However, his happiness has now turned into worry as he struggles to arrange the money required for his son’s admission.
Educationist and retired high school headmaster Basudev Das said Somya’s achievement was not only a matter of pride for his family but also an inspiration for thousands of underprivileged students. “Poverty should not block the path of a brilliant student. The government and private agencies should come forward to help this poor boy fulfil his dream,” Das said.