Students from the disaster-hit Mundakkai–Chooralmala region of Wayanad reached out to newly sworn-in Kerala Agriculture Minister T. Siddique on Thursday in a video call that turned deeply emotional, thanking him for standing by them after the devastating landslides that tore through the hill district and upended hundreds of lives.

A Call That Wasn't From Politicians

After T. Siddique took oath as Kerala's Agriculture Minister, one of his first calls came not from party leaders or government officials, but from a group of young survivors from Wayanad's worst-affected villages. 'When nobody else was there, you stood with us like strength and shelter,' the students told him, their words carrying the weight of grief, loss, and hard-won resilience.

Many of the children on the call were students Siddique had supported through his MLA Care initiative following the disaster. Several had lost parents or close relatives. Many had feared their education would come to an abrupt end amid grief and financial devastation.

How the Rehabilitation Unfolded

What began as emergency relief gradually evolved into one of Wayanad's most significant post-disaster rehabilitation efforts. According to Siddique, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi played a pivotal role in mobilising resources when the district was struggling to find its footing.

The Gandhi siblings reportedly helped channel CSR funding from multiple business groups to ensure that students could continue their studies without interruption. The support extended to higher education in demanding fields — including medicine, engineering, and aviation — aspirations that many families had feared were buried beneath the landslide debris.

Numbers Behind the Initiative

The scale of the programme is notable. A total of 351 students across Wayanad benefited from the initiative, of whom 152 were directly affected by the disaster. In a striking sign of recovery, 21 students have already secured employment within two years of the tragedy.

Notably, the programme moved well beyond emergency aid — it became a sustained commitment to ensuring that the landslide would not define the futures of an entire generation in the hill district.

Minister's Assurance Going Forward

Siddique was quick to share credit, attributing much of the success to collective efforts. He assured the students that support would continue and that employment opportunities would be actively facilitated for those completing their studies. The minister's message was clear: the hope that had been painstakingly restored would not be allowed to fade again.

This comes amid broader conversations in Kerala about long-term rehabilitation in Wayanad, where reconstruction efforts are still ongoing more than a year after the landslides claimed lives and livelihoods across the region.