Koraput : A 19-year-old youth from Odisha’s Malkangiri district has become the first person from Bonda tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, to clear NEET for admission to a MBBS course.
Mangala Muduli, from a marginal farmer family from Mudulipada panchayat’s Badbel village, will study at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
Elated at Muduli’s success, his science teacher at Mudulipada SSD High School, Utkal Keshari Das, said, “He was always exceptional in academics, so I advised him to appear for NEET.I helped him join a coaching centre in Baleswar. Impressed by his talent, the centre waived the entire fee of ₹1.2 lakh.”
Muduli secured 261st rank in the state’s tribal list, which improved to the sixth place after he was awarded additional marks for studying in a govt school.
“I am very happy to have cleared NEET in my first attempt. I owe my success to my family and Das sir. I have witnessed health issues in our tribal community. I want to serve my people as a doctor,” Muduli said.