Thiruvananthapuram: Bineesh Balan, a tribal student from a hamlet of Kanhangad in Kasargod district, is on the way to achieving his life’s ambition. He landed in London on Saturday to study in the London School of Economics after passing several hurdles back in his home state. Earlier, though SC/ST Welfare Minister A.K. Balan had sanctioned Rs 27 lakh for his study, the officials created legal hurdles and did not give him the money. Following this, the minister sanctioned Rs 1.5 lakh to meet the immediate needs of the course. He took a loan of Rs 5 lakh and his friends and well-wishers raised the rest of the money.
A bank employee from Wayanad sponsored the flight ticket to London, said Mr C.V. Shibu, one of those who had been campaigning for the cause of Bineesh. Earlier, Bineesh had become the first person from the primitive Mavilan tribal community in the state to gain admission in a foreign university. He had missed two opportunities due to official apathy though he was one of those who cleared the union government’s national overseas scholarship programme, Mr Shibu said.
In 2014, Bineesh had secured admission to the University Of Sussex. Though the then Tribal Affairs Minister P.K. Jayalakshmi had allotted him Rs 27 lakh, the officials denied him the money. In 2016, he was selected to study in the London School of Economics. But then also, official apathy blocked his way. After the LDF came to power, Bineesh met minister Balan and sought his help. That proved a turning point in his life.
