The Tamil Nadu government has announced that it will fund the educational expenses of A Rajeshwari, an Adivasi student who cleared the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced with an all-India rank of 417 under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. Clearing the exam will very likely qualify her for a seat at an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), reports say. This will also make Rajeswari the first student from a government tribal residential school under the Adi Dravidar & Tribal Welfare department (AD&TW) to secure a seat at an IIT, according to reports.
Rajeshwari belongs to the Malayali community, categorised as ST in the state. She is from Karumandurai, a village in the Kalvarayan Hills near Salem.
The announcement regarding funding for her further education was made by Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 6. “I salute the achievement of Rajeshwari, a government tribal residential school student who, despite losing her father, has carried his dream in her heart and made it come true,” the CM said in a statement.
Stalin further added, “The true pride for IITs is when more of our daughters such as Rajeshwari join. Our Dravidian model government will continue to work towards this.”
The Tamil Nadu government has borne the expenses of students from government schools in the state who have gained admission to IITs and other premier institutions. The state allocated Rs 50 crores in the 2025-2026 budget under the Kalloori Kanavu scheme for the educational
/**expenses of 2000 students who have gained admission to premier institutions across the country.
According to the IIT Kanpur website, 14,010 students appeared for the exam this year under the ST category. 5,008 students have qualified. A total of 1,80,422 candidates appeared for papers 1 and 2 of JEE (Advanced) 2025. Of these candidates, 54,378 have qualified. Out of the total qualified candidates, 9,404 are women candidates.
The exam was held on 18th May 2025 and results were announced on June 2.