india

Updated: Jul 29, 2018 20:54 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his radio monthly address Mann ki Baat on Sunday hailed a ragpicker’s son, Asharam Chaudhary, who made it to AIIMS Jodhpur for the MBBS course this year overcoming heavy odds in his life.

Asharam (18) hails from Vijayganj Mandi town in Dewas district, about 150 kilometers west of Bhopal. His father Ranjeet Chaudhary is a ragpicker and also takes odd jobs to make ends meet.

Talking of Asharam Chaudhary’s exemplary achievement the PM said in Mann ki Baat, “Referring to the college season reminds me of someone I saw in the news recently… how Asharam Choudhury a student from an extremely poor family in Madhya Pradesh overcame life’s many challenges to achieve success. In his maiden attempt, he cracked the entrance exam for MBBS at AIIMS, Jodhpur. His father earns his daily bread by waste-picking. I congratulate him on his success.”

Boosted by the fact that the Prime Minister mentioned him in his address, Asharam said he would try to become a good doctor and serve the society.

“After the Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned my name in his Mann ki Baat I am really feeling lucky. At the same time I feel when none else than our PM has some expectation from me I have no other option but to continue to strive hard to achieve my goal. My commitment is to serve the society by becoming a good doctor,” he said.

He got overall 707th rank among all the students and 141st rank in OBC category in AIIMS-MBBS entrance examination, 2018. Asharam said his education in the first year of MBBS was almost free, thanks to media highlighting his achievement and then people extending help to him.

“I am not concerned about the fee in the first year but that in the next year. MP government had given Rs 21000 to me. This will meet the requirement of fee for the first year. The AIIMS, Jodhpur has given free books to me for this year”, he said.

He said the Madhya Pradesh government provided electricity supply to his house as announced but a toilet was yet to be constructed there.

“I need nothing more now than a toilet and a pucca house. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made the announcement that a toilet will be constructed at my house and also that the government will provide a pucca house to my family. But I don’t know which agency will fulfil all these promises”, he added.

Asharam, his parents and siblings – a younger brother and a younger sister – live in a thatched structure.