CM Fadnavis Promises Sant Ravidas Memorial Fund, LIDCOM Revamp
Synopsis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at a Nagpur event honouring 495 Charmakar community students, announced state funding for a Sant Ravidas memorial near Babulkheda, a BARTI-model restructuring of LIDCOM for skill training, and a new e-library for competitive exam aspirants.
Key Takeaways
The Charmakar Seva Sangh felicitated 495 students who scored above 65% in Class X and XII board exams at a Nagpur event chaired by CM Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari .
The Maharashtra government will provide funds for a Sant Ravidas Maharaj memorial and hall near Babulkheda, Nagpur .
LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Charmodyog va Charmakar Vikas Mahamandal) will be restructured on the BARTI–ARTI model to deliver vocational training for Charmakar youth.
A modern e-library will be established to support competitive examination preparation for community students.
State-level events will be organised to mark Sant Ravidas Maharaj's 650th birth anniversary year .
The event was held in memory of the late Smt.
Bhanutai Gadkari , wife of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
At a packed community felicitation in Nagpur on Sunday, 27 September 2026, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a string of concrete commitments for the Charmakar community — a memorial for Sant Ravidas Maharaj, a restructured development corporation, and a modern e-library — signalling that the Maharashtra government intends to pair cultural recognition with hard economic upliftment.
495 students honoured at Bhanutai Gadkari memorial meet
The event, organised by the Charmakar Seva Sangh in memory of the late Smt. Bhanutai Gadkari, brought together senior political leadership and community elders at a single stage in Nagpur. CM Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari presided over the ceremony, which felicitated 495 meritorious students who scored above 65 per cent in Class X and Class XII board examinations, honouring each with a citation and a commendation medallion. Distinguished citizens from the Charmakar community who had rendered outstanding service were also recognised at the event.
Sant Ravidas memorial near Babulkheda — state funds committed
The headline announcement came from CM Fadnavis himself: the state government will provide funds for the construction of a memorial and assembly hall dedicated to the revered 15th–16th century saint at the Babulkheda locality near Nagpur. Fadnavis framed the pledge in the spirit of Sant Ravidas's own teachings, saying the government's goal is to ensure 'the fruits of development reach the last person in society.' Alongside the memorial, a state-level programme calendar marking Sant Ravidas Maharaj's 650th birth anniversary year will be drawn up.
LIDCOM gets a BARTI-style makeover for skill training
LIDCOM — the Sant Rohidas Charmodyog va Charmakar Vikas Mahamandal (Sant Rohidas Leather Industry and Charmakar Development Corporation) — will be rebuilt on the model of BARTI (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute) and ARTI. The restructured body is expected to deliver vocational training and allied services specifically for youth from the Charmakar community, addressing employment as sharply as education. CM Fadnavis stated plainly: 'Recognising meritorious students is not a mere formality — it is the need of the hour.'
E-library for competitive exam aspirants
A dedicated modern e-library will also be set up to help students from the community prepare for competitive examinations — a targeted infrastructure push that mirrors schemes rolled out for other Scheduled Caste groups through BARTI-linked centres. The move acknowledges that access to quality study resources remains a structural barrier for first-generation learners even after board-level success.
Also present at the event were MLA Krishna Khopde, former Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari, and Charmakar Seva Sangh founder-president Bhayyasaheb Bighane.
Three announcements — a memorial, a revamped corporation, and a digital library — now sit on Maharashtra's to-do list; how fast the state moves from the dais to the ground will tell the community whether Sunday's promises outlast Sunday's applause.
Point of View
An e-library, competitive-exam support — reflects a calculated effort to broaden the Mahayuti alliance's base among Scheduled Caste communities ahead of potential electoral cycles. The BARTI-model framing for LIDCOM is politically significant: BARTI is widely seen as a credible institution, and invoking it lends the restructuring a legitimacy beyond rhetoric. Gadkari's co-presence at a community event in his own constituency also underlines the Union government's stake in the optics. Whether LIDCOM's revamp translates into funded, operational training centres or remains an announcement will be the true test of this welfare arc.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LIDCOM and why is Maharashtra restructuring it?
LIDCOM stands for the Sant Rohidas Charmodyog va Charmakar Vikas Mahamandal, a state corporation for the leather industry and Charmakar community development. CM Fadnavis announced it will be restructured on the model of BARTI and ARTI to provide vocational training and welfare services specifically for Charmakar youth.
Where will the Sant Ravidas Maharaj memorial be built in Nagpur?
The memorial and assembly hall for Sant Ravidas Maharaj will be constructed in the Babulkheda area near Nagpur, with the Maharashtra state government committing to provide the necessary funds.
How many students were felicitated at the Nagpur Charmakar Seva Sangh event?
495 meritorious students from the Charmakar community who scored above 65 per cent in Class X and Class XII board examinations were honoured with citations and commendation medallions.
What is the significance of Sant Ravidas Maharaj's 650th birth anniversary?
Sant Ravidas Maharaj was a revered 15th–16th century saint and social reformer deeply venerated by the Charmakar community. Maharashtra plans to mark his 650th birth anniversary year with a series of state-level cultural and welfare events.
What is the e-library announced by CM Fadnavis for the Charmakar community?
CM Fadnavis announced a modern e-library that will be set up to help students from the Charmakar community access resources for competitive examination preparation, addressing the gap in quality study infrastructure for first-generation learners.
