Entrepreneur Punit Balan has decided to financially support mandal workers. Funds will be provided through the Punit Balan Group (PBG) to help them set up enterprises, with ₹3 crore made available for this purpose.
A felicitation ceremony was organised by Ganesh mandal workers and dhol-tasha troupe members to mark Balan’s birthday recently.
Balan performed the aarti of Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati at Sarasbaug. Later, Akhil Mandai Mandal President Annasaheb Thorat and Nimbalkar Talim Mandal’s senior worker Suresh Pawar honoured him with a citation.
Speaking at the event, Balan said, “Society holds a prejudiced view towards Ganesh mandal workers. Many people think that mandal workers are vagabonds. However, many of them voluntarily dedicate over a month to their respective mandals, often setting aside other responsibilities such as their jobs or businesses."
“Mandal workers are the backbone of Ganesh mandals. They must be supported and respected. This is why PBG decided to help them establish their enterprises by raising ₹3 crore. Annually, 100-300 workers will receive assistance, and the funds will increase each year," he added.
The decision was met with enthusiastic applause from the mandal workers. Ravindra Malwadkar, Parag Thakur, Uday Jagtap, Suryakant Pathak, and Dheeraj Ghate also spoke on the occasion. Shri Devdeveshwar Sarasbaug Sanstha Trustee Ramesh Bhagwat, Prasad Kulkarni, Vikas Pawar, Hemant Rasne, Datta Sagare, Anil Sakpal, Sanjeev Jawale, Shirish Mohite, Suresh Jain, Piyush Shah, Ashutosh Deshpande, along with workers from various Ganesh mandals, Jai Ganesh Vyaspeeth, and members of dhol-tasha troupes, were present.