DEHRADUN: A building of the Indian Oil Corporation in Rudraprayag town will turn into a coaching centre of sorts for youngsters from families devastated by 2013 flash floods. And all of this on the initiative of Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal who has offered to provide free coaching for civil services to disaster-affected youth with meagre means.Within two months of assuming charge, Ghildiyal has created quite a stir in this quiet town that lies at the confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. The man on a mission to improve threadbare educational facilities in the hills has been conducting inspections in schools in the district, interacting with students and addressing their issues. After he found that there was no science teacher at RajkiyaBalika Inter College, Rudraprayag, he discussed the matter with his wife, Usha, who is now teaching the students for two hours every day.The 2012 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre said that his drive to educate the underprivileged is inspired by his personal struggle to get a quality education. “I had to walk five km to school every day. Later, when I wanted to prepare for civil services examination, there were no coaching centres and little financial backing,” said Ghildiyal, who grew up in Dandyu village in Pauri Garhwal.Ghildiyal said that it was only when he got a job with the Defence Research Development Organization as a scientist in Dehradun that he could prepare for the civil services exam and realize his dream. “I want to provide youngsters here with the opportunity and guidance that I didn’t have. Youth in hill districts like Pauri, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Chamoli do not have access to coaching centres for competitive exams. This is why I want to offer my services to them. Lack of resources and exposure shouldn’t be the reason a deserving student falls behind,” he said.The DM would provide books and teaching material to the students from disaster-hit families that he takes under his wing. He said that the flash floods in 2013 had left 282 kids in Rudraprayag district dead and several others orphaned.

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