When you’re a kid and asked about your future aspirations, the answers often range from wanting to be a teacher, or an astronaut, or a lawyer. But for Rahul, who hails from the Naxal-affected region of Chhattisgarh, his only dream was to become a doctor.
His determination grew stronger as he got older, but financial constraints became apparent. Rahul could not afford expensive NEET coaching to clear the exam.
Thanks to the ‘Second Chance’ initiative led by IAS Vinit Nandanwar, Collector of Bastar under the government’s ‘Touch the Sky’ campaign, this year, his dream came true after he cleared the NEET exam. Rahul is among the 65 children who successfully cleared NEET and JEE.
Being Bastar’s first IAS officer, Vinit understood the problems of the community very well. He aimed to ensure that the lack of facilities in Naxal areas does not hinder these children from realizing their dreams. Hailing from a minority background, Vinit lacked the guidance to become an officer but had the unwavering belief that he could achieve it.
Finally, after four attempts, he managed to clear the exam. So when he moved to this area, he wanted to help kids like him. He revised the ‘Touch the Sky’ government scheme and started the ‘Second Chance’ campaign.
“The current scheme provides free coaching to children. I understand the challenges of failure, I passed my exam in my fourth attempt. The ‘Second Chance’ campaign provides one more year of free coaching to children who are not successful in their initial attempts,” he explains.
Currently, Vinit is dedicated to trying to change the image of Naxal-affected areas and using the same power of education.
Watch this short video to learn more about his work:
Edited by Padmashri Pandey