Mumbai, June 20: Maharashtra  State Charity Commission on Tuesday has directed all Ganpati mandals to sponsor funds to children of needy farming families who are unable to opt for good career-oriented courses due to their poor financial condition. In a meeting for Ganpati mandals association members in Mumbai, the charity commissioner Shivkumar Dige explained why it is important to give away 10 percent of donation money for charity work. He said that it will encourage other small mandals to participate in the charity work eventually.

Every year, various Ganesh mandals receive crores of rupees as donations by various Ganesh mandals, especially in Mumbai. Some of the famous Ganesh mandals  Lalbaughcha Raja, Ganesh Gali, Khetwadi Ganpati and others top the list.  The devotees are known to gift exorbitant amounts of cash or jewellery, which is later auctioned by some of these mandals.

As per the State Charity Commission's decision, the initiative will start this year onwards and five to seven students will be selected from 36 districts. After proper scrutinisation, the student will be helped financially says the Hindustan Times news report. Meanwhile, the Ganesh mandals have welcomed the move. The process of securitisation in all 36 districts for the scheme will be started from Thursday onwards said Dige, the charity commissioner.

Last year,the Lalbaughch Raja Ganesh mandal received a total donation of Rs. 5.93 lakh. This year the eleven-day Ganesh festival will start from September 13, 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2018 02:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).