Mumbai, July 3 :  A private initiative will enable 30 underprivileged students from Maharashtra to pursue their dreams of admission to an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), an official said here late Tuesday.

The selected students will take part in a free 10-month-long residential programme organised by Vedanta Group in association with Abhayanand's Super 30, at the latter's campus in Vithalwadi, Thane. The programme is modelled on similar Super 30 initiative in Bihar.

Underprivileged students from the state will appear for a competitive examination from which the top 30 shall be selected for the course.

Launching the course here in the evening, founder of Super 30 Abhayanand said that it was intended to help underprivileged talented students crack the IIT entrance test.

"The highest level of talent also does not flower on its own and needs support thus this initiative is a boon for those who can't afford private coaching and at the same time need personal attention of the tutors and radically transform their lives," Abhayanand said.

Vedanta Foundation CEO Ravi Krishnan said that it recognised the immense potential that students from the bottom of pyramid in India possessed.

The first batch of Super 30 has already been selected through a process of examinations and interviews from 375 meritorious students who secured minimum 70 percent marks in Class 12.

Vedanta Foundation reached out to around 2.70 million people in 550 villages across India through various initiatives, with an investment of Rs.1.80 billion last year (2010-11).

© IANS