Nara Lokesh flags off 21 specially-abled students from Andhra Pradesh on Everest Base Camp trek

Education, IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) flagged off 21 specially-abled students from government schools on a 16-day expedition to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, in what is believed to be the first such government-sponsored high-altitude trek by specially-abled students in India.

The Minister flagged off the expedition at his residence in Undavalli. The group of 21 students, including eight girls, studying in Classes 9 to Intermediate in government institutions, will undertake the trek from April 15 to April 30. Their destination is the Everest Base Camp, at an altitude of 5,364 metres. The team will first travel to Kathmandu, from where the expedition will commence. The initiative is being carried out under Samagra Shiksha.