On lines of ‘Super 30’ scheme for underprivileged students, Assam Rifles launches ‘Project Deepak’ in Tripura

This comes three years after the BJP-IPFT government launched the ‘Super 30’ educational project to fund coaching fees of school students from the science stream and help them crack engineering and medical entrance examinations.

Saha said, “Project Deepak was formulated along the lines of the Super 30 project. This project involves providing special coaching to economically backward, underprivileged and meritorious students, especially from the rural areas, before the 12th board exams so that they can get admission in suitable colleges, including technical colleges, medical colleges etc”.

He said Assam Rifles implemented similar projects in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh before bringing the scheme to Tripura. He said stakeholders from other sectors should also take a cue and come up with similar initiatives.

The Assam Rifles headquarters currently has a facility housing 30 students where they can undergo special coaching for one year. A shortlisting process would be conducted through an examination this month among economically backward communities, and those selected will be able to join the coaching regimen, officials said. Axis Bank partners with the initiative for imparting quality education and working towards national integration as part of their corporate social responsibility.

CM Dr Saha said the New Education Policy is a multipurpose education policy that integrates the world’s best knowledge with India’s tradition and heritage.

“The NEP was made keeping in mind the improvement in education, innovation and research and aims at equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to put India in the position of a knowledge powerhouse. It aims to ensure quality education along with employment generation.

It proposed a four-year multi-disciplinary undergraduate programme in colleges with multiple entry and exit points. We have already started this programme in the colleges of Tripura.

“The aim is to increase Gross Enrollment Ratio by 30 per cent by 2030, introduction of new technologies in higher education, skill development in educational institutions, multi-disciplinary system in higher education institutions”, he said and added that educational encouragement schemes and projects like ‘Super 30’ would positively contribute to the PM’s vision of honing talents from across the country.

The ‘Super 30’ scheme was launched by the state government in 2020-21 at the Madhyamik level to prepare students for national-level engineering and medical entrance examinations, in which 30 students are given opportunities as per reservation criteria to prepare for NEET, JEE Mains and Advanced as per preference of candidate.

The state government’s scheme involves an expenditure of Rs 1 lakh for coaching and Rs 1.40 lakh for accommodation for each student in every batch annually, with a cumulative cost of Rs 72 lakh every year for coaching and lodging.

The government has also granted 5 per cent over and above the estimated cost for the next two years to ensure project continuity.