Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday directed the ST & SC Department to release funds for the MBBS course of Kandhamal’s Ifu Mallick, a promising scholar. Ifu has cleared NEET and has been selected for admission in MBBS in Saheed Lakshman Nayak (SLN) Medical College and Hospital in Koraput district.
Ifu was unable to arrange for admission fees and other expenses. This came to the notice of the CM who directed the ST and SC Department to take this up on priority make necessary arrangements. Following the CM’s directives, the Department sanctioned an amount of Rs 62,950 towards expenses of Ifu’s first-year course.
The amount was sanctioned within six hours following the CM’s direction. This has been funded by State Government under its own scheme of Financial Assistance for ST students. The Chief Minister has started this initiative so that meritorious ST students are able to pursue their studies, especially in professional colleges.
It may be noted that the Odisha government fully bears the cost of studies and accommodation of SC and ST students getting into national institutes on merit. Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian spoke to Ifu and invited him to meet the Chief Minster at Naveen Niwas when he is in Bhubaneswar. Pandian wished him well in the future.
