Shram Sadhana Trust

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Shram Sadhana Trust is a trust promoted by Pratibha Patil , the nominee of ruling UPA and Indian left for 2007 president of India election. Currently Jyoti Rathore the daughter of Pratibha Patil is the managing trustee of the trust. The Trust controls four major working women's hostels and also a college of engineering and technology at Bambhori in Jalgaon district. Two of these four hostels are located in Mumbai, one each in Delhi and Pimpri near Pune.

The hostel at Pimpri named Umanchal Hostel was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil then governor of Rajasthan in January 2005.The Union Ministry for Women and Child Development sanctioned Rs 96 lakh for its construction.The Maharashtra Government gifted away Rs 1 crore worth of land to the Shram Sadhana Trust for the hostel.

The hostel at Mumbai was set up in 1974 with financial help from the government when Pratibha Patil was a cabinet minister in Government of Maharashtra.

In Delhi, the trust runs the Shubhanchal working women's hostel

The Central government's rule that government finance is to be given only to the hostels with capacity of less 100 inmates was waived for all four hostels run by the Trust.

[edit] Controversies

The trust siphoned off Rs 4.66 crore. Rs 30,00,000 from students’ fund was illegally diverted to the sugar mill. Also the working women’s hostel run by trust misused government leased land.*[1]

A report issued by North Maharashtra University in 2004, states, “It seems that Shram Sadhna Trust has siphoned huge funds of Rs 1.33 crore, Rs 1.45 crore and 1.38 crore respectively in last three years… This is clear violation of the norms. The amount should be used for the development of Institute”

The report further states that the college staff was not paid the salary due to it. “On non-payment of the salary (including all allowances) as per the Fifth pay scale, the committee was informed that funds are not adequate.” The observation is significant since SSBT siphoned off a substantial amount of funds from the college.[2]