Jammu & Kashmir: Super-40 is Army's latest weapon in Valley Students of the Indian Army’s Kashmir Super-40

Shares 601 Ishfaq-ul-Hassan | Mon, 1 May 2017-06:45am , Srinagar , DNA When some youth were busy pelting stones at the security forces, the Indian Army was working hard to help Kashmiri students live their dreams of joining the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IITs). In 2017, Indian Army's Kashmir Super-40 initiative broke all previous records. 26 boys and two girls from the terror plagued state cracked the IIT-JEE mains exam. Conducted at Srinagar by army's training partner Centre for Social Responsibility and Learning (CSRL) and Petronet LNG, this year's performance was the best as 28 students - nine from militancy-hit south Kashmir, 10 from north Kashmir, seven from Kargil and two from the Jammu region cracked the exam. "Achieving a success rate of 78 per cent, the result of Army's Kashmir Super 40 is at par with the best IIT coaching centers in the country. This was the first batch in which five girls from the Kashmir valley were coached in Delhi, out of which two have qualified," said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence spokesman at Srinagar. Turn to P4 'Azadi' can wait but career cannot! 26 J&K students coached by army crack IIT-JEE exam The course was started on a stipulated time despite the unrest and stone-pelting which Kashmir witnessed after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in Bamdoora village of Anantnag district on July 8, 2016. "Despite the numerous challenges caused by the internal disturbances in the Valley after July 2016, the IIT-JEE coaching was undertaken as per the stipulated schedule by the Army," said Colonel Kalia. As a part of the programme, the entire coaching and stay is free of cost for the students and is sponsored under the CSR initiative by Petronet LNG. "Under this flagship scheme the candidates are selected by the Army through an entrance test. After the test, an interview is conducted in various colleges across the state in the month of April and May," said Colonel Kalia. Indian Army credited the success to not only stupendous coaching but also the personalised guidance which helped the students to prepare for one of the toughest exams of their lives. "This year's outstanding result is the testimony of careful selection, excellent coaching, personalised guidance and conducive living and study environment provided at zero cost to the students at the Srinagar Army location," Colonel Kalia added. Encouraged by stupendous performance, the Army in coordination with CSRL and Petronet LNG has decided to upgrade the facility to 50 students, including five girls with immediate effect. This initiative by the Army is a successful step towards providing a platform for the underprivileged yet talented students of Jammu and Kashmir to excel in their careers. Apart from the IIT's, the students of Kashmir Super-40 have excelled equally in various other Engineering colleges' exams across the country," he said