The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has set aside ₹30 lakh for free UPSC coaching that is being conducted by the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS), headed by former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
Shringla and GTA chief executive Anit Thapa jointly inaugurated the coaching facilities from Lal Khoti, the headquarters of the hill body, on Wednesday.
A total of 60 students have been selected for the 15-month camp which will be held at Southfield College and St Joseph’s College (North Point) in Darjeeling.
“We are confident that this initiative will provide a level playing field for many students,” said Shringla.
Classes will be both online and offline.
“Well-known educators will be periodically coming to take classes. An educator attached to a well-known coaching centre in Delhi will be coming on August 17 to take classes,” said Shringla.
Students who sail through the prelims will receive specialised coaching up to the interview stage, all free of cost.
Thapa said the GTA was delighted to work with Shringla’s organisation. “We have kept aside ₹30 lakh for the project. If we find suitable mentors, we will start similar initiatives in other fields,” said Thapa.
The free UPSC coaching was launched in a year when four students from the Darjeeling district cracked the civil service examinations. While Ritika Verma had an All India Rank of 25, Jayasree Pradhan was placed 52. Gautam Thakuri ranked 391 and Ajay Moktan 494.
“This effort is from Shringla Sir and we are delighted to be part of this initiative. This is an achievement for the hills as we have been able to tie up with a person of Shringla Sir’s status,” said Thapa.
Shringla, 62, has had an outstanding run as a career diplomat. He has had the rare honour of a road named after him in the Barishal district of Bangladesh. The road was named after Shringla as a symbol of friendship between Bangladesh and India.
Sources said the 2km-long “Shree Harsh Bardhan Shringla Road” was inaugurated on August 7, 2023, by the local member of parliament, Nasreen Jahan Ratna Amin.
