The goal of the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre is building a modern and prosperous society by creating equal opportunities for all people. For more than three decades, this journey has thrived on core values like Service Orientation, Trustworthiness, Excellence, Creativity, Ownership. Its journey continues with strength and purpose.
Yashwantrao Chavan is the architect of modern and Sanyukt Maharashtra. After his death, his followers came together. On September 17, 1985, they started the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratisthan in Mumbai. That is now known as Yashwantrao Chavan Centre. This neutral platform, free from religion and politics, discusses social issues. It also trains people to take action on these social issues. With this noble vision at its core, the Centre continues its journey of service and progress.
The chavan centre works through many departments including Education, Health, Disability and Senior Citizens, Youth, Women, Culture, Yashwantrao Chavan Research Centre for Social Sciences, Yashwantrao Chavan National Library, Book Publishing and Films, Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Information Technology, Legal Aid and Advice Forum, and Centre for Tribal Development. The Chavan Centre operates across various districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Karad, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Nanded, Solapur, Nagpur, and Amravati.
Through the Education Department, the centre connects with more than 8,000 teachers and experts in the state. It runs programs for them like education conferences, Shikshan Katta, fellowship for teachers, teacher literature meets, and Mumbai Dialogues on World Affairs. It also creates education books. It gives the 'Dr. Kumud Bansal Best Education Book Award' to writers and publishers of top books on education. It honors excellent teachers in the state with the 'Dr. Kumud Bansal Excellent Teacher Award'.
The Health Department runs programs like 'Shodh Anandi Jivanacha' - mental health awareness program, state-level health conferences, awards for elderly people and their groups, awareness workshops for seniors, film screenings and talks for good mental health. It also works to help disabled people get government schemes directly and join the mainstream. This includes awareness programs for the disabled, giving out UID cards for scheme benefits, health camps for the disabled, free aids and tools, and free digital hearing aid checks and distribution for those with hearing problems. The department also organized a wedding event for people with special disability.
For the all-round growth of young people, the Youth Department runs the Youth Exchange Program, Yashwantrao Chavan State Youth Awards, fellowships for youth in agriculture, Maharashtra Creators Summit for digital content makers, workshops for youth growth, Yashwant Speech Contest, short film contests, and college magazine contests. These have been going on for over two decades.
For the financial literacy and independence of women, the centre runs programs like Drishti Samvad, Yashaswini Samajik Abhiyan, and Financial Literacy Drive. It holds the Yashaswini Sanman Sohala every year to salute women's power. The 'Jagar Janivancha, Tumchy Mazya Lekincha' program, started by Working President, MP Supriya Sule, has been noticed not just in Maharashtra but across India. To share and keep Maharashtra's food traditions alive, it holds the Gavaran Food Festival every year. Through 'Sugarn', it helps women self help groups get fair markets and become financially strong.
To spread law awareness among women, it has started centers for family problems counseling, legal advice, and guidance in different parts of the state.
The Centre presents the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award to distinguished individuals for their outstanding contributions at the national level. Also chavan centre gives the 'Yashwantrao Chavan State Award' to the distinguished individuals for their great state-level work.
Under the guidance of Working President and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, the Sharad Pawar Inspire Fellowship was launched in 2021. It focuses on agriculture, education, and literature, aiming to inspire and guide the youth. The initiative has received an excellent response from across the state.
Yashwantrao Chavan National Library is a treasure of original books on many subjects. Everyone should visit it. Many books given as gifts Hon. Pawar Saheb and MP Supriya Sule are kept here. The 'Pustakdoot' program sends these books to readers for just postal cost, right to their door. It is a reader-run movement for readers.
Through Yashwant International Film Festival, documentaries, and movie screenings, the chavan centre spreads awareness.
To reach great leaders' original ideas to the new young generation with modern tech, it made the audio podcast series 'Parivartnache Shilpkar'. It gets good response from listeners.
For 20 years, the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Information Technology has been active in computer and software training field. Since 1999, the Legal Aid Forum gives free legal help to common people across the country.
The Chavan Centre has big halls and conference rooms for events. To support farmers and give customers good vegetables at fair prices, every Saturday at Chavan Centre Mumbai, free space is given to farmers to sell their agri products. Customers love it.
The magazine 'Yashwant Samvad' gives an overview of the centre's work. It comes every two months as a digital newsletter on the website. Full info on Chavan Centre and its work is on www.chavancentre.org ... Do visit.
Under respected Hon. Pawar Saheb as President, the centre's work has run strongly for over three decades. Late Yashwantrao Chavan defined education like this. "An educated person can connect what happens around them with what happens in the world. They understand its true meaning and how it affects their life and personality. They can explain it to others. That is what I call education." The centre remembers this definition in all its work.
The Yashwantrao Chavan Centre carries forward late Yashwantrao Chavan's work. It will keep doing so in the future. Thank you!