4 ZP students from ‘Super 50’ make it to IITs, 1 bags IIIT seat

Nashik: Four students from the Nashik zilla parishad (ZP) schools, who participated in the ZP's "Super 50" programme, have successfully secured admissions into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). All four students received two years of fully sponsored training through this pilot project, which was launched in 2022 by ZP CEO Ashima Mittal. The "Super 50" programme began in the academic year 2022-23. It initially selected 50 meritorious students from scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) categories who had exclusively attended ZP schools and belonged to economically weaker sections (EWS). One of the students also manged to get into IIIT Nagpur.These students were chosen based on an entrance examination. The programme has since expanded to include 110 students, with 55 receiving coaching for medical entrance exams and the other 55 for engineering entrance exams.Mittal, while talking to TOI, expressed immense pride in the students' achievements. "The success achieved by the students participating in the "Super 50" initiative is a matter of pride for Nashik district. The fact that children from rural and tribal areas have secured places in the top educational institutions of the country is a testament to their ability. This is not just a success, but the beginning of social change. We will continue to expand such initiatives and reach more students in the coming days," she said.Vrushali Waghmare from Manmad will pursue electronics and telecommunications from IIT Dhanbad, while Dimple Bagul (Kalwan) has opted for electricals at IIT Kharagpur. Megha Dahale (Trimbakeshwar) has decided to study food engineering at IIT Kharagpur and Akanksha Shejwal (Nihad) will study chemical science at IIT Dhanbad.