Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday announced that the admission fee of the Pratapgarh brothers Raju and Brijesh, sons of a daily wager, who made it to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), would be waived even as support poured in from several quarters, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The family of Raju (18) and Brijesh (19), both stood in the top 500 of JEE (advanced), was struggling to raise funds for them to pursue their dream. The brothers studied at the Navodaya Vidyalaya in Pratapgarh and their father, Dharamraj Saroj, needed Rs.1 lakh to pay their admission fee.
The two brothers’ “registration fees will be waived and [they] will be eligible for scholarships that cover tuition, mess and other charges,” Ms. Irani tweeted, after the plight of the family was highlighted in the media.
Earlier, Mr. Gandhi spoke to the two brothers over the phone. “Congratulations to all those who cracked the IIT. Spoke to Brijesh & Raju from Pratapgarh on their tremendous success against all odds,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted. “Proud of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for discovering talent from rural areas & giving them such a wonderful springboard.”
The Congress leader’s show of support was followed by several pledges of support, including from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
Help was also offered by Sulabh International’s founder and social worker Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak. As helped poured in, Raju said: “I got calls from many people congratulating me. I got a call from Rahulji, and other eminent personalities for the first time and I felt very happy... (Bollywood actor) Aamir Khan called too and advised [me] to continue my studies without any worry.”
