KENDRAPARA: Financial assistance has begun pouring in for 19-year-old Somya Ranjan Sahoo, who was struggling to secure admission to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack due to shortage of funds.
The son of a daily-wage labourer 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. However, despite his impressive performance, he faced difficulty arranging the counselling and admission fees required to secure his medical seat.
A report published in TNIE on Saturday titled ‘Poverty threatens dream of daily wager’s son who cracked NEET’ drew attention to the financial difficulties faced by the student. Somya needed around Rs 40,000 for counselling and admission, with the deadline being August 31.
After learning about his situation, around five persons came forward to help on Saturday and contributed nearly Rs 55,000 to help him meet the immediate requirement. Several individuals and organisations have also offered financial assistance to support Somya throughout his medical education.
However, the student has politely declined further immediate help, saying the Rs 55,000 received on Saturday is sufficient for now. He said he may require assistance in the future, as the cost of completing his four-and-a-half-year medical course could be around Rs 2 lakh.
“My mobile phone started ringing from early Saturday morning. The callers said they had read the report in TNIE about my inability to arrange the admission fee. Now, I will be able to take admission to SCB Medical College soon, thanks to the help extended by these altruists,” Somya said.
One of the donors travelled from Bhubaneswar to Sahabajpur village on Saturday to hand over the financial assistance to Somya. He also felicitated the young NEET achiever in the presence of his mother.
“All my prayers were answered after my son received financial help from philanthropists. His humble background did not stop him from achieving his goal. He overcame several obstacles and secured a good rank in the NEET examination. Now he will get admission to SCB Medical College,” said Sanjukta, Somya’s mother.