MNREGA labourers' son becomes first to crack JEE-Main in Raj village

Till a couple of years ago Lekhraj Bheel had not heard of the JEE-Main exam, but this year he became the first to crack it in his tribal village in Rajasthan.

But success has not come easy for the 18-year-old. His parents are MNREGA labourers from Jhalawar's Mogayabeeh Bhilan village who did not even know who is an engineer.

"I did not know what an engineer is and could not even dream that my son would become a graduate. Now I'm at the top of the world as he is going to become the first engineer in our local Bheel community and in the village," the elated father said.

Mangilal and wife, Sardari Bai, who are illiterate themselves, expressed hope that their son would be able to improve the family's condition and they would not have to continue working as labourers.

Lekhraj shared their sentiment.

"They have to work hard to feed the family. I want to complete engineering degree and take care of them," he said.

The teenager said he wished to raise awareness about the importance of studies