NAADAM’s (National Association for Advancement of Dalits, Adivasis, and Minorities) first Annual Day has been celebrated at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad on 10 th August 2013. Naadam’s Founders, Drs. Devaiah and Rudrama Pagidipati believe that Education alone can pave way for a better future to anyone.

Hence this first gathering has begun with providing financial support to 34 schedule caste and schedule tribe students who have secured admissions into the premier Medical and Engineering colleges (MBBS, IIT, NIT, IIIT, NIFFT) across the nation. All these students belong to the A P S W R E I S. The Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, through its Social Welfare Ministry has given them special coaching for JEE. They all hail from rural villages. Their parents are mere labourers that depend on daily wages. They can’t afford to meet their expenses.

The Secretary of APSWREIS, Dr. Praveen Kumar IPS, who has the similar views of Dr. Devaiah, recommended this programme. Dr. Devaiah too belongs to the same community of these students, and he knows the hardships of finding money for higher education. Being a philanthropist, he accepted the idea of educating these downtrodden students by giving them financial support.

All the 34 scholars were taken into Naadam family in the presence of the DGP, Dr. B. Prasada Rao, Dr. Praveen Kumar IPS, Naadam’s President Mr. Brij Mohan, the parents of the students, and Naadam’s core team.

Thus the first STEP has been laid which should go for long.