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Being surrounded by books is a matter of routine for civil services aspirants, but Sreenath K, a coolie who cleared the written test of the Kerala Public Service Commission, the preparation is just about his phone and earphones as he goes about his job.
Sreenath has been earning his livelihood carrying heavy luggage at Ernakulam Junction in Kerala for the past five years.
A high school pass-out, he takes advantage of the free WiFi Internet service available at Ernakulam station to learn.
The WiFi service, launched in 2016 as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India initiative, provides free Internet to passengers under Railwire, the retail broadband distribution model of RailTel Corporation of India Limited.
As of May 2018, at least 685 railway stations have been equipped with WiFi technology across the country, with the Indian Railways setting a target of providing this facility at all 8,500 stations by March 2019 at a cost of Rs 700 crore.
Sreenath hails from Munnar, a town in the Western Ghats mountain range. The name Munnar is believed to mean "three rivers", referring to its location at the confluence of Mudhirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers.
Ernakulam is the nearest major railway station from Munnar.
If he qualifies for KPSC after interview, he is likely to be a village field assistant under the land revenue department.
He has also applied for exams advertised recently by the railways for 62,000 Group D posts of trackman, cabinman, leverman, pointsman, gangman and others.
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