Nalgonda youth becomes first TSWRSS student to be selected for Air Force

Ashok cleared his UPSC and Services Selection Board (SSB) exams and will now undergo training at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasala, Pune. He will report to the campus on 15 February.

"It's a big moment for me as well as for my teachers and trainers at Rukmapur Sainik School," said an elated Ashok Sai who is the first student from the school to get selected for NDA. "I am extremely thankful to the government of Telangana for starting an exclusive Sainik school for marginalized students. Without the government's support and vision, I wouldn't have even dreamt of becoming a flying officer in my wildest dreams given my humble family background," he added.

Ashok dreamed of serving his country from a young age. He hopes to become a fighter pilot.

"My father is disabled and my mother works as a tailor to make both ends meet. We hail from Palwai village under Gurampodu mandal in Nalgonda district. My parents are extremely happy with this good news," he added.

Koppula Eeshwar, minister for Scheduled Castes Development Department, congratulated the young student and said, "This is a moment of great honour and pride for Telangana to see such a young boy from an extremely poor background achieve such great heights." He commended the efforts of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) secretary Ronald Rose and his team.

Meanwhile, Ronald Rose said clearing the NDA exam was not a cakewalk and it's a five-day selection process where a candidate's physical, psychological, and mental abilities are evaluated. "Every year, lakhs of students appear for the NDA exam and the selection rate is only 0.1 per cent. Ashok Sai's achievement is one of the historic milestones in the successful journey of TSWREI students. Telangana is the only state in the country to have launched exclusive Sainik schools for underprivileged students," he said.