NEET 2021: 18 underprivileged from Odisha's Zindagi Foundation Clear Medical Entrance Exam

NEET Result 2021: As per the updates, National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the result of NEET 2021 at neet.nta.nic.in. Candidates can check their result by using the required login credentials. Many students who qualified in the pre-medical entrance test are celebrating their success, among them are Odisha's 18 students from underprivileged backgrounds. With the help of the charitable body, Zindagi Foundation the sons of a landless farmer, a milk vendor, a rickshaw puller and the daughter of a poor weaver cleared NEET-UG 2021. They were coached by Zindagi Foundation, an NGO of academician Ajay Bahadur Singh, who had missed out on medical education due to his poor economic background. He decided that poor economic conditions should not come in the way of a good education.

Zindagi Foundation Programme

Under the programme, talented underprivileged students are selected from across Odisha through a state-wide screening test, providing free food, lodging and coaching to help them crack NEET and become doctors. As per media reports, Ajay Bahadur Singh stated, "The challenge was bigger this time as due to the COVID pandemic it was difficult to hold physical classes most of the time. But we did not let the students' spirit sag. We arranged smart phones for those who could not borrow them from friends or relatives and imparted online classes by our expert teachers."

"I could not become a doctor but when I see these kids achieve their dreams, I feel I have achieved mine. I could never accept that a brilliant child cannot achieve his or her dream only because of financial constraints. I will keep the project going to ensure that no children miss their dreams due to lack of resources," he said.

The foundation, which began functioning in 2017, stated all its 18 students have cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (undergraduate) this year as in 2018. Fourteen of its students had made it in 2019 and all 19 in 2020.

Statement of the Odisha's Students who qualified NEET

As per media reports, Shivani Mehar, the daughter of a poor weaver who scored 577 marks and cleared NEET, said "I could not have dreamt of becoming a doctor given the poor economic condition of my parents. It's due to Ajay Sir I have got this opportunity to do something for the society." Further, Murshid Khan, the son of a rickshaw puller who scored 610 and Subhas Chandra Bahera, the son of a milk seller who got 595, echoed her.