Coca Cola

Initiative organized for the 3rd consecutive year under the active guidance & support of Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh

Coca-Cola in India under the active guidance and support of the Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh organized a felicitation ceremony to award ‘Thums Up Merit Scholarships’ to 190 students from 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh.

D. Manikya Vara Prasada Rao, Minister for Secondary Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Super Star of South Indian cinema and Thums Up Brand Ambassador, Mahesh Babu and Mr Ch. Iylaiah IFS, Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Deepak Kaul, Vice President - Region South, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd. distributed the scholarships to the meritorious students from the underprivileged sections of the society in the state. It was a proud moment for the parents and the teachers of these 190 students who were honored at a special event organized especially for them.

“Education is the foundation for a nation to grow and develop and sustain the progress in the long run. India has immense talent and when channelized in the right direction can produce great citizens”,said D. Manikya Vara Prasada Rao, Minister for Secondary Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh. “Thums Up Merit Scholarship is a great initiative in this direction as it encourages students from the underprivileged sections of the society to pursue their goals. I congratulate the meritorious students who have won the scholarship and hope that this initiative encourages more students to compete for these scholarships. I also urge the organizers to extend this initiative.”

The students were beaming with pride and happiness as they went on to the stage to receive their scholarships. As part of the Thums Up Merit Scholarship, winners who studied in municipal, panchayats and government schools in Andhra Pradesh received financial assistance to pursue their studies. The first and the second rank holders of 10th standard from each of the 23 districts were selected under four different sections - Scheduled caste, Scheduled tribe, Backward communities & Other communities - by the Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, for the Thums Up scholarship.

Superstar and Thums Up Brand Ambassador, Mahesh Babu expressed his happiness and said, “I am glad to be part of this novel initiative and I complement Hindustan Coca-Cola and the state government for putting this initiative together. These scholarships symbolize the triumph of spirit and will of these young achievers against all odds. I congratulate all the winners of the scholarship and wish them the very best in life.” Mahesh Babu also spoke to the students from all the 23 districts and encouraged them to work hard and pursue their dreams.

The scholarship was a great encouragement for the students and they profusely thanked the Education Minister, Mahesh Babu and Deepak Kaul at the felicitation ceremony. “This is indeed a great honor for me to be awarded for my hard work. It is a great motivation for students like me and I am extremely happy to be felicitated by the Minister of Education and my favorite star Mahesh Babu”, said one of the winners at the event.

“At Coca-Cola we believe that our business can only be as healthy as the communities where we live and operate. We provide extensive support to various community initiatives across India focusing on education, health and environment, said Deepak Kaul, Vice President - Region South, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Limited. “Education has an immense impact on the society. ‘Thums Up Merit scholarship’ initiative being organized third year in a row is our endeavor to empower the underprivileged sections of the society through education by providing financial aid to the needy and deserving. I am grateful to the Department of School Education for supporting this initiative.”

Thums Up Merit Scholarship initiative was launched by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd in Andhra Pradesh in the year 2006 with a firm resolve to contribute to the communities where it operates through a special focus on education.