ITANAGAR, Oct 22: Helping Hands, in collaboration with Delhi-based NEXT IAS, has launched the North East Civil Services Talent Discovery and Access Mission (NECTDAM) 2.0 to support aspiring civil servants from the Northeast through a scholarship programme worth Rs 5 crore under the institute’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The initiative aims to identify talented candidates preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and state civil services examinations and provide financial assistance to help them pursue their goals.
According to Helping Hands president Robin Hibu (IPS), the scholarship examination for 2027 is scheduled for December 13, 2026, with registration closing on December 6. Graduates and undergraduates are eligible to apply.
The examination will comprise 100 multiple-choice questions carrying 200 marks, with a duration of two hours. The syllabus includes NCERT textbooks from Classes VI to XII, basic logical reasoning and reading comprehension. Negative marking will apply, and the examination will be conducted in both online and offline modes.
Scholarships and fee concessions will be awarded according to rank. Candidates securing ranks from one to seven will be eligible for concessions of up to 100 per cent, while those ranked eight to 20 can receive up to 75 per cent. Candidates ranked 21 to 100 will be eligible for up to 50 per cent, ranks 101 to 250 for up to 25 per cent, and ranks 251 to 2,000 for up to 10 per cent.
As part of the outreach campaign, Helping Hands and NEXT IAS faculty members have so far conducted UPSC career guidance seminars at eight colleges in Arunachal Pradesh.
The campaign features guidance from NEXT IAS faculty members, including Navneet Chhabra and Neeraj Chauhan, along with Hibu and other members of Helping Hands. UPSC preparation books and study materials are also being made available at participating colleges to support aspirants.
The next phase of the awareness campaign is scheduled to cover Govt Colleges of Daporijo, Palin, Tawang, Tezu, Rangfrah (Changlang) and Pasighat.
Similar career guidance programmes are also planned across Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Assam and Manipur, subject to the prevailing law and order situation in the latter.
Hibu expressed gratitude to NEXT IAS CMD B Singh for supporting the initiative and agreeing to collaborate with Helping Hands through a memorandum of understanding for the Rs 5-crore mission.
The initiative seeks to widen access to civil services coaching and encourage talented youth from the region to pursue careers in public administration and contribute to nation-building.