A tribal man from Odisha’s Rayagada district who cracked NEET at the age of 33 is a shining example of how age and poverty can never pose obstacles for people determined to pursue their dreams.

Krushna Chandra Ataka, married with two kids, has also enrolled himself in a government medical college.

Impressed by Ataka’s feat, the Odisha government on Friday announced that it would bear the entire expense of his education in the medical college.

The announcement from the Odisha government came in the wake of Ataka’s meeting with the private secretary of the chief minister V.K. Pandian. On his Instagram account, Pandian wrote: “All the best Krushna. We are all proud of you and you are an inspiration to all. CM Naveen Patnaik has ordered the government to bear the cost of his expenses in medical college.”

Ataka, who hails from Thuapadi village, said age was just a number for him.

“Age has never been a barrier. I belong to a tribal area. There is a lack of medical facilities here. I want to serve the people of my area,” Ataka told The Telegraph.

“With hard work, one can get success. Poverty will never be a barrier. One needs the determination to excel in life,” he added.

Ataka got married in 2018 at the age of 29. “I have two kids (three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Flurina and one-year-old son Jaypreet ) and my wife Mitula Ataka is a samiti member,” he said.

Ataka’s life is an inspiration to a lot of people. After completing Class XII in 2008, he was not able to pursue his studies due to abject poverty. He was forced to go outside the state to work as a migrant labourer and was engaged at a brick kiln factory in Kerala. He returned in 2012 and started helping his father in farming.

“After my marriage in 2018, I wanted to do something. I discussed my childhood dream with my wife. She said she would support me in achieving my dream. During the lockdown, I decided to work on achieving my dream. I started my preparation in 2021,” Ataka said.

On his preparation, Ataka said: “I collected all the study materials with the help of the Internet and YouTube. I bought second-hand NCERT books and medical coaching books. During my preparation, I used to go to sleep at 7pm get up at 2am and read for six hours. After 8am, I used to either assist my father in the field or work as a labourer. Now my efforts have paid off.”

Ataka enrolled himself at the Shaeed Rendo Majhi Medical College and Hospital in Kalahandi on August 7.

“A resident of my village supported me and paid the Rs 38,0000 required for my admission. Two days back, the Rayagada district administration transferred Rs 1 lakh to my account. After I got the money, I repaid the loan I had taken for my admission. The government has promised to provide me a stipend of Rs 70,000 per annum besides bearing all my education expenses,” Ataka said.