Venkaiah Naidu felicitates AP tribal students who scaled Mt Everest

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today felicitated the students of Andhra Pradesh tribal welfare residential schools, who scaled the worlds highest peak Mount Everest last month.

Addressing students at a function organised by the Swarna Bharat Trusts Hyderabad chapter here, the minister said conquering Mt Everest is a remarkable and historical achievement and the students are inspiration for others.

Six students of AP Tribal Welfare Residential Schools, belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories, scaled the peak within 30 days of their expedition and achieved their target on May 13.

On the occasion, the urban development minister announced that Trusts Venkatachalam, Vijayawada and Hyderabad chapters will jointly award an incentive of Rs 3 lakh to the students for their achievement, an official release said.

AP Social Welfare Secretary, Residential Schools, Velugoti Ramulu said the students were provided a thorough training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.

Of the six students, Vooyaka Krishna Rao and Kunja Durga Rao, both senior intermediate students of AP Tribal Welfare Residential Schools, are the sons of daily-wager, farm labourers, belonging to scheduled tribes.

Krishna Raos parents are agriculture labourers in the Seetampeta Agency area in Srikakulam district while Durga Raos parents too eke out their living as daily wagers.

G Suresh Babu, who conquered the highest peak along with five others from his state, too belongs to the scheduled caste with his parents being smalltime workers in their native Pulichinta village in Kurnool district.

Kare Satya Rao of Visakhapatnam comes from a family of fishermen and he was sponsored by the Youth Services Department.

S Nagaraju, also from Visakhapatnam, was a marathoner as well.

Tammineni Bharat from Kurnool district could not conquer the Mt Everest in his first attempt in 2015 because of the devastating earthquake in Nepal but this time, as part of the six-member AP team, he achieved the distinction.