Sixteen from remote Gadchiroli and Melghat villages clear NEET exam

Nagpur: Sixteen students from remote villages of Gadchiroli and Melghat in Maharashtra are a step closer to fulfilling their dream of becoming doctors after clearing the undergraduate NEET, the results of which were declared on Tuesday.

National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is a single entrance test for admissions to MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) colleges across India.

These candidates from the Vidarbha region were part of 30 students who were given free coaching for two years by ‘Lift For Upliftment’ (LFU), an organisation founded by students and alumni of B J Medical College in Pune.

The students from Gadchiroli and Melghat – areas often associated with Naxalism and poor social indicators – were taught by doctors and those pursuing their studies at the Pune medical college. The mentors used to visit the organisation’s study centres in Osmanabad and Gachiroli districts.

Tarang Vairagade from Chandanweli village in Ettapalli takula of Gachiroli district shared that he scored 501 out of 720 marks in NEET 2023. The 18-year-old lives with his grandmother and mother, who works on a farm and does tailoring to make ends meet.

Vairagade, who lost his father in childhood, said he went to the local schools and learnt about LFU’s free coaching from a teacher. The teenager said he received offline as well as online coaching. The mentors cleared his basics and helped him improve his English.

The teenager is expecting to get admission to the MBBS course. “I want to return to my native place after medical education and serve the people here,” he said.

Akash Kodyami (18) from Gavadhetti village of Gadchiroli scored 464 out of 720. Kodyami, whose family is into farming, went to a local state-run ‘ashram shala’ and a friend told him about the free coaching institute.

The tribal teen said they speak the Gondi language and he had trouble learning English. But a dictionary made by LFU that had Gondi words translated into English boosted his confidence, he said.

“The mentors helped me prepare for the board exam as well as NEET,” said Kodyami, who is expecting a medical seat. Like Vairagade, he too wants to serve his people after completing his education.

In a release, LFU co-founder Dr Ketan Deshmukh said medical entrance coaching has grown into an industry worth crores of rupees but not everyone can afford the fees.

“We want to give a fair and accessible platform for anybody who wants to become a doctor and comes from marginalised and underprivileged backgrounds. After an entrance test and interview, we select the students for coaching,” he said.

The organisation has a special batch for the Vidarbha region in Bhamragarh in Gadchiroli district. “Every week doctors and senior medical students visit Bhamragarh to deliver lectures while some lectures are delivered online,” said Dedhmukh.

Talking about this year's NEET results, he said, “With these 16 students, at least 16 villages are uplifted. In the next ten years, we wish to have 100 tribal students from Gadchiroli and Melghat each become doctors.” He said many students trained by them are now studying in medical colleges and some have even joined LFU as teaching faculty.