HomePoliticsMaharashtra govt release Rs 8 crore to embattled SARTHI

Maharashtra govt release Rs 8 crore to embattled SARTHI

Mumbai: After Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s instruction on Thursday, the finance department has released the fund to the tune of Rs 7 crore 94 lakh 89 thousand two hundred and thirty eight to SARTHI. Pawar is also the minister for finance and planning. In the morning after a meeting with Maratha community leaders, had announced that the state government will disburse Rs 8 crore on July 10 to revive the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) in Pune on urgent basis. 

“The state government will disburse Rs. 8 crore tomorrow itself. It will provide financial benefit to students and people who are economically weak in the Maratha community”, Pawar said while addressing a press conference after a meeting held with Chhatrapati Sambhaji and other representatives of the Maratha community on the measures to revive Sarthi.  

The meeting chaired by Pawar was attended by state relief and rehabilitation minister, Vijay Wadettiwar, state minority affairs minister, Nawab Malik among others. 

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Controversy had erupted after Wadettiwar last week purported made a statement over delay in disbursing funds to the organisation. The minister had reportedly stated that with the funds being diverted for Covid-19 treatment on priority, the government has already slashed the budget of other departments by 50 to 60 per cent. 

Wadettiwar had said that measures were being taken to revive Sarthi and refuted allegations that the organisation is being shut. He had explained that the payments for the organisation will be delayed, revealing that the state is facing funds crunch.

Pressing for the autonomy of Sarthi, Chhatrapati Sambhaji asked the state government to design a decade long master plan so that there won’t be fund crunch to the organisation in future. “Autonomy of Sarthi should remain intact. Under no circumstance we will allow the organisation to shut”, Sambhaji Maharaj told reporters. 

He said Ajit Pawar had assured him that he wants to keep Sarthi functional. “The organisation is a living memorial of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj”, he added.   

“A master plan should be designed from 2020 to 2030 to make the organisation self-sustainable”, he said.  Pawar has also said that SARTHI will not be shut.

To a query on the media reports which said that Chhatrapati Sambhaji was not accorded proper seat during the meeting and which was subsequently objected by his supporters attending the meeting, he clarified saying, “A member from the Chhatrapati family is a servant and he should not think about the honour.

 
Sarthi, a non-profit government company for research, policy advocacy, training was formed for socio-economic and education development of Maratha,  Maratha-Kunbi, Kunbi-Maratha, Kunbi community and the families dependent on agriculture in Maharashtra. 

The organisation’s thrust areas include research, policy advocacy to government, training and guidance to rural population, particularly the farmers whose livelihood is dependent on agriculture.

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