Malabar Group's social service is a model to emulate: Minister Khader
Malabar Housing Charity distributes cheques to homeless people
Mangaluru, November 30: Hailing the social concerns of Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Urban Development and Housing Minister UT Khader said that Malabar Group has helped hundreds of destitute people which is a model work to emulate.
Speaking as a chief guest at a cheques distribution programme for the homeless people under the Malabar CSR Housing Charity at the Malabar Gold and Diamonds auditorium at Falnir here on Friday, the Minister said that social service was real patriotism. Only elected representatives could not do anything to strengthen the country. Instead, everyone should participate in this process. Strong country could be possible only when every individual would live self-reliantly and the Malabar Gold has been working to supplement it, he said.
Every person would like to have his own house before he dies and it would be his dream. Interestingly, Malabar Gold was fulfilling that dream irrespective of castes, creeds and religions. It was a worth work to emulate in the society. The company has done a good work, he said.
MLA Vedavyas Kamath said that the Malabar Group, established in Calicut in 1993, has social concern along with its business acumen. In the last two decades, the Malabar Group, under its CSR activities, has been supplying medicines free of cost under Medical Charity, financial assistance to construct houses under Housing charity, empowering women under Empowerment Women-hood, scholarships, environmental conservations and other social activities and investing 5 per cent of its profit, he said.
Introducing the Medical Charity in 1999, it has distributed free medicines worth Rs 31 crore to more than six lakh patients. Under Malabar Housing Charity, instituted in 2004, it has given Rs 39 crore to construct 14,034 houses for the poor. Of which, in Mangaluru branch, the company has given Rs 1,06,56,793 to 220 beneficiaries, he said.
Zilla Panchayat president Meenakshi Shantigodu said that through Empowering Women-hood programme, it has provided Rs 4,03,07,250 scholarships to 19,326 girl students for higher education, of which, Rs 1,00,86,000 was given to 5343 students from Karnataka, she added.
As part of the environmental conservation, it has been conducting ‘Clean Mangaluru’ programme in association with the city corporation. Till date, the Malabar Group has invested Rs 81,22,02,934 for CSR activities and in this amount, Rs 1,42,99,775 was invested by the Mangaluru branch, she said.
Under the ‘Home for the Homeless’ scheme, financial assistance cheques were distributed to 45 beneficiaries on the occasion. City Corporation standing committee president Praveen Chandra Alva, ZP member Shahul Hameed, Malabar Gold and Diamonds director Karunakaran, Mangaluru store head Sarathchandran, Udupi store head Hafeez Rehman and others were present.
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Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Phuket after tragedy, say police
Panaji (PTI): Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, fled to Phuket hours after the tragedy, Goa Police said on Monday.
"Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of the CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest," a senior police officer said.
A massive fire at the nightclub, some 25 kilometres away from Panaji, on late Saturday night killed 25 persons. The deceased comprised 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Five injured people were undergoing treatment at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
After registering an FIR against them, a Look Out Circular was issued against them by December 7 by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, and it was found that both the accused had taken the 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, immediately after the fire incident, which occurred around midnight, the officer said.
READ ALSO: Goa nightclub fire: Owner Saurabh Luthra expresses grief, assures management support
He said the Goa Police had immediately dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
"Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house. This shows their intent to avoid the police investigation", he said.
Goa Police have obtained transit remand of Bharat Kohli, an employee of the club, and are bringing him to Goa.
He also said that the postmortem on all 25 deceased has been completed and bodies handed over to their families.
