Pune minister to give away over 5 lakh notebooks

Minister of state for home Satej Patil’s initiative to accept only notebooks as his birthday gift makes for a welcome change from the extravagant birthday celebrations by politicians. Patil, who collected more than 5.5 lakh notebooks on his 39th birthday on April 12, plans to distribute them to the students of the schools run by the Zilla Parishad and the civic bodies in the district.

Since 2007 Patil instead of accepting garlands, flowers, installing posters or issuing advertisements, accepts only notebooks as his birthday gifts. So far 16.27 lakh notebooks have been given to 3.80 lakh students in 380 schools. 

“Generally supporters install huge posters, issue advertisements in newspapers and gift garlands and flowers to politicians on their birthdays. It is just a waste of money. So, since 2007 every year I appeal my supporters to bring notebooks instead of garlands or other gifts. The initiative has received a good response,” Patil said. 

The two-time Congress MLA collected 2.12 lakh notebooks in 2007 and since then the number has been increasing. He collected 4.38 lakh, 4.66 lakh and 5.10 lakh notebooks in 2008, 2009, 2010 respectively. 

“The cost of the notebooks collected since 2007 is estimated around Rs1 crore. This would have been a waste if I had celebrated my birthday in a routine manner,” he said. 

“Installing posters deface the city so I discouraged it and asked my supporters to bring notebooks,” he added. 

“A single notebook costs just Rs10. So a common man can also wish me easily instead of wasting Rs50 on a single garland. The person who gifts me a couple of notebooks does not feel that he is wasting his money,” he said. 

Students from standard I to IV get two notebooks each, while students from standard V to VII get three and students from standard VIII to X get four notebooks.