Atul Save Donates Rs 1 Crore for Drought Relief, Scales Back Son's Wedding

Maharashtra minister Atul Save has given Rs 1 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund after deciding to trim the spending planned for his son's wedding. He handed the cheque to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The wedding is set for November 25. Save's younger son, Anurag, an entrepreneur, will marry Isha Mule, daughter of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar businessman Ajit Mule. According to Save, both families agreed together to skip a lavish celebration once the scale of crop losses in the region became clear.

The decision is aimed at Marathwada, where drought conditions have deepened across farms and villages. Save argued that a showy wedding would look out of place while farmers are dealing with failed harvests, and said the money would go to relief work instead.

Beyond the donation, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, who represents the Aurangabad East constituency, announced further support for struggling farm households. He plans to sponsor the weddings of 50 girls from farming families in Marathwada. He also intends to cover one year of schooling for children whose families have been affected by farmer suicides, a problem that has long weighed heavily on the region.

For a state where agrarian distress regularly makes headlines, the gesture stands out because it moves private celebration money into public relief. Whether other public figures follow suit will be watched closely, but the move gives drought-hit families a concrete form of help at a time when relief funds often face scrutiny over how quickly they reach the people they are meant for.

Read the original report at Times of India.

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