Union Minister C. R. Patil’s Birthday Marked by Mega Social Service Drive: 5,100 Girls Receive Educational Aid in Surat

A festival of social service on Union Minister CR Patil’s birthday, educational assistance provided to 5,100 girls

Surat (Gujarat) [India], March 16: A large-scale social service programme was organised at the Indoor Stadium in Surat on Sunday to mark the birthday of Union Minister for Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil Sir. The programme was hosted by Piyushbhai Desai, Founder of Hiraba No Khamkar Foundation, which focuses on promoting education and supporting girl students.

As part of the programme, 5,100 girls were provided cheques of Rs. 7,500 each as financial assistance to encourage their education. In addition, notebooks were distributed to approximately 1.25 lakh students.

Around 15,000 people attended the event. Also present on the occasion were CR Patil, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Surat MP Mukesh Dalal, MLAs Sangeeta Patil, Pravin Ghoghari, and Kumar Kanani, Surat City BJP president Paresh Patel, Surat Mayor Daxesh Mavani, Deputy Mayor Narendra Patil, and former mayor Hemali Boghawala, along with several other dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, noted industrialist Piyush Desai (Nanota), said the “Hiraba no Khamkar” campaign was launched with the aim of encouraging girls’ education. The programme began on Dussehra with support extended to 251 girls and has now expanded to 5,100 beneficiaries. So far, around 4,800 girl students have received assistance, with the foundation providing financial support of nearly Rs. 3.5 crore.

Additionally, to mark CR Patil’s 72nd birthday, water harvesting initiatives were undertaken at 72 locations as part of environmental conservation efforts.

The “Hiraba no Khamkar” initiative was named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, the late Hiraba, and was launched on the prime minister’s 75th birthday. Under the initiative, Piyush Desai has pledged to provide assistance of Rs. 7,500 each to 21,000 girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to support their educational expenses.