'One school, One IAS' programme to launched to demolish notion that civil services only for elite

An institutehelmed by top academicsand retired IAS and IPS officers in Kerala is organising anambitious programme called'OneSchool One IAS, seeking to''demolish the general notion that civil services are for theelite class alone.'' Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will this weekendinaugurate the scheme, beingrolled out under the VedhikErudite Foundations Scholarship Programme, the foundationsaid in a release here on Wednesday.

It said the programme provides free training toeconomically backward, but academically bright aspirants ofcivil services and other competitive exams.

The scheme, supported by sponsors, envisages enrollmentof 10,000 boys and girls across Kerala.

The beneficiaries will be selected by a panel headed bythe heads of respective educational institutions, it said.

The Governor will, through video conferencing, declarethe programme open at the function here on January 16.

Present at the ceremony in Grand Hyatt Hotel will bestate Education Minister Prof C Raveendranath, Cardinal MarGeorge Alencherry, former Chief Secretary and UN Consultant DrC V Ananda Bose, IAS, film actress Manju Warrier and officialsof the Vedhik IAS Academy.

Actress Manju Warrier will sponsor 10 studious, butfinancially weak girl students from different districts.

The initiative envisages equipping students with not justpreparing for the civil services, but other competitive examsas well, it added.

The trainers comprise Kerala former Additional ChiefSecretary Mr O P Minocha, Retd Col D S Cheema, CMAIAssociation of India President Prof N K Goyal, senior IASofficer Vivek Atre and Santhosh George Kulangara, also awell-known globetrotter.

The Kochi-headquartered institution has an office inDelhi.