UP govt offers full scholarship to Dalit IIT boy SC helped

LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath govt on Wednesday offered a full scholarship to Atul Kumar, the Dalit boy who lost his seat at IIT Dhanbad for his inability to deposit the acceptance fee of Rs 17,500 before Supreme Court invoked its extraordinary power to ask the institution to make an exception and admit him.
"The social welfare department will cover the entire tuition fees of Atul Kumar, a native of Muzaffarnagar's Titora village, under its scholarship scheme.The department will also take care of other expenses, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder his educational aspirations during his four years at IIT Dhanbad," a govt spokesperson said.
"The CM has instructed the department to ensure that all possible assistance is provided to Atul," a govt spokesperson said.
Social welfare minister Asim Arun reached out to Atul and his family to assure them that the state govt would be with them throughout his educational journey. Atul cracked JEEAdvanced on his second at tempt.
When he was denied admission into the electrical engineering department for missing the acceptance-fee deadline, the 18-year-old son of a daily-wage worker knocked on the doors of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Jharkhand Legal Services Authority, and Madras high court.
It wasn't until SC intervened that his story became public. "Can't allow a talented boy to go away," the threejudge bench said in its verdict.