Loknete Rajarambapu Patil galvanized the development of Walva taluka and nine villages in Palus taluka by setting up a sugar factory at Sakhrale. Since the first crushing season, late Rajarambapu Patil initiated the tradition of giving remunerative price to the sugarcane cultivators and after him, Rural Development minister Jayant Patil has preserved that glorious tradition. Sugarcane cultivating farmer is the owner of the sugar mill while the board of directors are the trustees. This is the basic philosophy that underlies Rajrarambapu Sugar factory and that is why at a time when other sugar factories are facing insolvency and dissolution, Rajarambapu sugar mill has set up as many as four units to successfully crush the sugarcane cultivated by the farmers in the region. However, Rural development minister Jayant Patil realized that there are sections in the society beyond the board of directors, sugarcane cultivator members and employees, who though not associated with the sugar mill in any way, deserved a helping hand and hence he set up Rajarambapu Endowment Trust through the medium of Rajarambapu Patil sugar mill on March 5, 1991. This is one of the instances of his social commitment. This trust has been registered as per Maharashtra cooperative society act 1960 with registration (Regd. No. E 703). This trust is functioning with the aim of fulfilling 21 social objectives on no profit basis since last 23 years.
This trust gives away a scholarship of Rs 10,000 to the children of sugarcane cultivator members to pursue higher education and make own career. It makes arrangement for providing potable drinking water. Actually, this is the responsibility of Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad, but there is a clause in the scheme that if any village or town is implementing a drinking water scheme, 90 percent fund would be provided by the central government while the public contribution should be 10 percent. However it is a difficult task to gather 10 percent contribution from the people and hence the trust contributes 5 percent of the public contribution and thus helped complete many such schemes. So far, this trust has made contributions to 46 villages in Walva, Palus and Miraj taluka to the tune of Rs 2.14 crore. Similarly, the trust has drilled the bore wells and installed hand pumps in the water starved villages, hamlets and towns on the demand of the villagers. It may be noted that recently, the trust drilled 1000th bore well at Gaundwadi. There is an English saying: Sound body in sound mind. Acting on this saying, the trust which has always cared for the youths of the region, built well-equipped gymnasiums at 24 villages in the sugar mill jurisdiction. The trust has set before itself the objective of ensuring that the youth of the region become physically strong and mentally tough. The slew of gymnasiums built in the area have succeeded in weaning away the youth from the ‘Dhaba culture’ and introduced them to the love of sports and physical exercise. The trust has spent Rs 1.34 crore on this project. The trust is also committed to take care of the health of sugarcane farmers. It has signed an agreement with K.E.L. hospital at Belgaum for medical treatment of its farmer members as well as non-members under its Janata Health Scheme. Many heart surgeries were performed through this scheme, thus saving life of several members and non-members. This trust organises heath camps, blood donation camps, cancer check-up, eye-check up camps, anemia treatment camps and even ambulance service is being provided. A total of Rs 2. 33 lakh has been spent on providing all these services.
The trust has enabled the children to play modern games and do physical exercise by building international level ‘Rajarambapu Indoor stadium’ and Rajarambapu Krida Sankul’ on the mill land. Nowadays, the doctors, lawyers, lecturers, businessmen come to the stadia to play badminton, table tennis, among other games. Many sportsmen who got trained in stadiums have been performing at national and international levels. While working as the president of Sangli district local board, Rajarambapu Patil built draw-well and schools at every village and town. His work was greatly admired by one and all. It became a talking point throughout the state. The trust has taken up the beautification of draw wells. Till now the trust has repaired and beautified draw wells in 20 villages. In the last 23 years, the trust has spent Rs 14 crore on providing educational and medical facilities, building gyms in social and public interest, and providing them gym equipments, contribution to the drinking water scheme, drilling bore wells, building crematorium sheds, similarly building ‘Rajarambapu Indoor Stadium’. Today Rajarambapu trust has become the mainstay of the general populace.