Naidu pledges expansion of coaching centres for SC/ST students to face IIT, NEET exams

Amaravati, Aug 25 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday congratulated 55 SC and ST students from state-run social welfare residential schools who secured seats in IITs, NITs, and through NEET this year, and directed officials to establish seven additional IIT-NEET coaching centres this year to benefit 1,411 SC and ST students across the state.

The students met Naidu at the Secretariat and thanked him for the government’s support.

“Congratulations to 55 SC and ST students who secured seats in national-level institutions. They studied in social welfare gurukul schools and achieved success in IIT, NIT, and NEET this year,” Naidu said in a statement.

The chief minister urged students to work hard, excel in higher studies, and bring glory to the state and the nation. Of the 356 students trained at Dr B R Ambedkar IIT-NEET centres in Kurnool, NTR, and Guntur districts, 129 qualified in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and 143 in NEET.

This year, 12 students secured seats in IITs, 30 in NITs, and 13 in MBBS through NEET, including 20 girls. Another 14 students are expected to secure BDS seats, while 19 gained admission to government-funded technical institutions (GFTIs) and central universities, he said.

Naidu said social welfare institutions must be further strengthened to nurture talent and set a target of quadrupling the number of qualifiers next year.

He handed over mementos and cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to the 55 students, amounting to Rs 55 lakh.

Naidu lauded the success of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and urged them to set an example for others. PTI MS SSK