Navratri cancelled: Former corporator Harshali Mathwad diverts funds to support flood-hit farmers

PUNE: Showing a sense of social responsibility, former corporator Harshali Dinesh Mathwad has cancelled her annual Navratri cultural programme and extended support to farmers affected by the recent floods in the state. Mathwad has contributed to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and handed over essential kits for the affected families at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pune office, said a statement issued by Mathwad.

Mathwad, who organizes a cultural event every year during Navratri, decided to divert the funds this year after heavy rains and floods caused widespread destruction across several districts. Many farmers lost their homes, crops, and livestock, facing immense hardship.

“The floods have caused severe damage to farmers’ lives and livelihoods. In such testing times, standing by their side is more meaningful than holding any celebration,” Mathwad said, adding that social sensitivity must take precedence over festivity when people are in distress, added the statement.