Mumbai: Sindhudurg CEO transforms bouquets into notebooks for underprivileged students

MUMBAI: In a novel initiative, the Sindhudurg Zilla Parishad CEO has replaced the custom of presenting flower bouquets on official occasions with bouquets of notebooks, which are later donated to children from marginalised communities.

It is a small effort, but it makes a real difference in the education of the needy children, Sindhudurg ZP's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ravindra Khebudkar told PTI on Wednesday. The official said nearly 2,000 notebooks have been collected and distributed to students since he took charge of the post in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district in February this year.

"Local leaders and social workers greet officials with flower bouquets. It is a custom widely followed when a senior government official takes charge, but I noticed that after a few seconds of greeting, nobody looks at it (the flower bouquet) again. I thought, why not use this expenditure in a meaningful way?" Khebudkar said.

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The official said he has requested people to bring bouquets of notebooks instead of flowers, which could then be distributed among the needy students. "It serves the purpose both ways - officials and visitors can greet me, and the notebooks reach children who really need them," he added.

Since February, around 2,000 notebooks have been collected and distributed to students, including those at a residential hostel for Katkari community children at Bambarde village in Kudal tehsil of the district. "Last week, I distributed notebooks to children residing in the Nagya Mahadu residential hostel for Katkari children. Such efforts, though small, make a real difference in their education," he said.

Khebudkar had earlier implemented a similar practice during his tenure as commissioner of Sangli-Miraj Municipal Corporation, where, he said, nearly 30,000 notebooks were collected and given to students from time to time.