Rajya Sabha member Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati on Thursday sat on a token fast in Pune against what he claimed was the Maharashtra government’s apathy towards SARTHI.
The Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), Pune is registered under the Company Act, 2013 as a non-profit government company.
It is engaged in research, policy advocacy, and training for socio-economic and educational development of Maratha, Maratha-Kunbi, Kunbi-Maratha, Kunbi communities and families dependent on agriculture in the State.
“SARTHI is an important institution but some officials in the government and others are planning to close it down and trying to defame it but I will not allow that to happen,” he tweeted.
He said he sat on the fast after getting no response from the government despite several attempts to highlight the matter.
Several people had protested outside the SARTHI office as well.
PWD Minister Eknath Shinde met agitators on Saturday and assured them that programmes of SARTHI would continue to be implemented.
He said the State government had not accepted the resignations of SARTHI officials, adding that “wrong decisions” taken by officials in connection with SARTHI have been cancelled.
