20 children from underprivileged families qualify in NEET

Amrita Sahu, daughter of a daily wage labourer and 19 other children from underprivileged families in Odisha have cracked the NEET examination with the help provided to them by a charitable organisation in fulfilling their dreams to become doctors Of the 20 successful students, 15 are set to get admission in MBBS course while five others will be eligible for BDS course.

Amrita’s father said he could not arrange medical coaching for her due to economic hardship but Zindagi Foundation took full responsibility of her preparation of NEET.

“It was difficult to even maintain the family. In this situation, Zindagi Foundation took full responsibility of her preparation of NEET. Amrita has scored 636 in NEET,” said her father Akshya Kumar Sahu of Jajpur district.

Jagannath Giri, the son of a daily wage earner, of Kendrapara district of Odisha has taken steps towards his dream of becoming a doctor by scoring 635 in NEET.

“Sometimes our family has to sleep without having food. I also sometimes work in the fields along with my father to earn some extra money for my family. With the guidance and hard work of Zindagi Foundation, I have made it,” said Jagannath Giri.

The story of Malay Kumar Pradhan of Dhenkanal is also similar. Medical coaching was like a dream when it was a challenge to get square meal every day. But Malay never gave up chasing his goal. By scoring 634 in NEET, Malay has achieved a great success and has taken step towards becoming a doctor.

Narayan Tudy of Mayurbhanj district, said he aspired to become a doctor as there was no doctor in his native place of Thakurmunda. “I have secured 80 per cent marks in 10th board and 79 per cent in the 12th board. Still, could not find ways on how to fulfil my dreams,” he said, adding that his village was in a forest area. However, getting information from a friend, he came to Bhubaneswar and met Ajay Bahadur Singh of Zindagi Foundation and now he is all set to get admission in any government medical college.

Zindagi Foundation which picked up the meritorious poor students, arranged their lodging and boarding, provided study materials and taught them tricks of cracking All India Medical Entrance Examination.

At least 20 of the 21 students of Zindagi Foundation, run by academician Ajay Bahadur Singh, who had missed out on medical education due to his poor economic background, have made it.

All the children who are set to become doctors hail from the family of daily labourers, landless farmers, weavers, bookbinders, Anganwadi workers, hotel waiters and roadside Tiffin vendors.

With this year’s result, as many as 90 children from economically deprived families have cracked NEET, a task really difficult for any rich and affluent family students. On completion of five years of its success in 2021-22, Zindagi Foundation is now preparing to spread outside Odisha and children from other states will also now be able to prepare for NEET under this foundation, Singh said.

“We do not receive any donation from anybody and imparting coaching to the students free of cost and providing all facilities,” Singh told reporters here, adding that they have also arranged funds for some students for admission and other expenses of poor students after qualifying for the MBBS.

He said while USA-based Saloni Foundation had taken care of four students last year, Gurugan’s Sikshya Dan sponsored medical studies of five others and Odisha’s Eastern Drugs, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, took charge of one student after qualifying the NEET. Noting that the success of students of Zindagi Foundation is no ordinary success as most of these children are such that they do not even get two square meals every day, Singh said: “I see my childhood in these students.”