Arvind Kejriwal calls on citizens to fund education of poor kids

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged Delhiites to step up and offer financial support to bright underprivileged students in the city’s government schools.

Addressing a press conference, the CM said a city-based family has decided to bear the cost of education of Vijay Kumar, who is now a student of IIT-Delhi. Kumar (16) cleared his Class 12 from a government school this year and had availed the IIT-JEE free coaching scheme offered by the city administration.

“You all have already heard of Vijay’s achievements. He had availed the Delhi government’s ‘Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana’ which is a free coaching scheme for aspiring students like him, who dream big but do not have resources. After hearing about Vijay’s case, Varun Gandhi and his family decided to fund his education at IIT-Delhi. Their gesture will inspire others to contribute to society too,” Kejriwal, who himself is an IIT graduate, said at a press conference.

Kumar’s mother is a homemaker and father is a tailor. “Instead of donating money to a temple, making a talented kid realise his dream of IIT is a much bigger service to god. I urge people who can afford to volunteer for such deeds,” Kejriwal said.

Varun Gandhi, a businessman, who was accompanied by his mother, said his family has always valued education and celebrated excellence. “We have our own business and instead of running after brands, we choose to support those who have potential. My brother and I have been toppers of Delhi Univeristy’s Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). Prior to this, we have offered electric wheelchairs to the differently abled students in SRCC and also financed the coaching of an IAS aspirant,” said Gandhi.

Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam also pledged to pay for the tuition fees of 20-year-old Shashi who got admission in Lady Hardinge College after availing the free coaching scheme of the Delhi government.

Buoyed by the success of its ‘Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana’, the AAP government had earlier decided to extend it to needy students from general category and other backward classes. Thirty-five underprivileged students, who got free coaching under the scheme, had cracked the JEE Main and NEET examination this year.

Five of them secured admissions to leading technical and medical institutions such as Lady Hardinge College, IIT-Delhi, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology Delhi and Banaras Hindu University.

First Published: Sep 09, 2019 03:17 IST