UP Abhyudaya Scheme: Teaching programme for engineering, medical exam aspirants begins today

A free coaching scheme in Uttar Pradesh for candidates preparing for various competitive exams like JEE and NEET, called the Abhyudaya Scheme, is set to begin today, on 16 February. The scheme was launched by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 15 February. Speaking about the scheme, the chief minister said that it was not a mere coaching class but it is aimed at guiding the youth of the state and their dreams in the correct direction. A report by NDTV notes that the scheme will provide “quality guidance and teaching” to all aspirants of both engineering and medical programmes. Candidates who hail from rural areas, poor families and marginalised sections and those who cannot afford and avail private coaching services will benefit from the new scheme. The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to set up the scheme at the divisional level in the first phase. Thereafter, implementation will be done at the district level in the second phase. Training for entry into the National Defence Academy and Combined Defence Services will be provided. Coaching for JEE and NEET will be done separately and all the lectures along with the study material can be accessed online. In a subsequent tweet, Yogi Adityanath said that as many as five lakh candidates had appeared in the online test for the Abhyudaya Scheme. In the first stage of screening, 50,000 students have been shortlisted. However, the minister added that the candidates who failed to be selected will also get the chance to be coached virtually in the initial stage. He also promised physical coaching in the later stages. A report by The Times of India quoted the chief minister as saying that it was during the lockdown last year that he felt that Uttar Pradesh needed a coaching system such as the one that exists in Kota, Rajasthan.