TV
An orphaned tribal student from a remote village in Gajapati district’s Mohana block secured admission to study MBBS at the government-run Sri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital in Puri.
Nira Mallick (21) of Dumiguda village in Adava panchayat secured a state rank of 3,856 in the general category and 72 in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in NEET-2025. He was allotted a seat in the first round of medical counselling after clearing the entrance in his second attempt.
Struggles and Family Tragedy
According to The Times Of India, Nira’s path to medical education was marked by hardship. A former student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), he passed Class X in 2019 with 88 per cent marks.
However, he had to discontinue studies as he was suffering from tuberculosis. At the same time, his mother got paralysed and his father, Sania Mallick, passed away (2014). Subsequently, his elder brother Pira, now 27, migrated to Kerala in search of work.
In 2022, just days before his Plus II examination, his mother passed away. Orphaned, Nira began farming to help his brother financially and gave up his studies.
Support from Activists
His fortunes changed when activists from Bipadara Bandhu, an organisation working for underprivileged students, encouraged him to resume studies and prepare for competitive examinations. The group played a key role in guiding him through the admission process for medical college, as reported by TOI.
According to the reports, the organissation also coordinated with another body that provides financial support to economically disadvantaged students pursuing MBBS. This further ensured that Nira could continue his education without interruption.
