by Suman Gupta
Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one of the fifth largest gold retailer in the world, is planning to launch its ambitious Brides of India Golden Heart initiative, a reach out programme specially designed for the would-be-brides from the economically weaker sections of the society (EWS), to the pan India level. The episode, which is already going live in Kerala and billed as a runaway success, will be rolled in other parts of the country in a staggered fashion, a senior company official said. Under the initiative, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has already distributed more than 600 grams gold to more than 30 brides in Kerala.
Under the aegis of `Brides of India Golden Heart’ initiative, the gold retailer will be giving away as much as 24 grams of gold to as many would-be brides as possible. The company said the idea is to give a helping hand to would be brides of India whose dreams to tie the knots are getting delayed or deferred thanks to their backward economic background.
Brides of India Golden Heart aims to make the dream of marriage for all eligible brides of 20 years of age and above living below the poverty line comes true subject to certain conditions. For instance, the applicant should be of 20 years of age and above. The would-be bride should hail from a BPL family without a brother of above 18 years of age and parents deceased. Applications should be submitted before 45 days of the day of marriage. The applicants who possess landed property of five cents or below or who have house built on 900 sq. ft. of area or below are eligible. Gold ornaments of minimum 8 grams to maximum 24 grams will be given on the wedding day to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of these mentioned criteria and an inquiry report of a committee.
“The idea behind the initiative is to help as much would-be-brides from the economically backward sections of the society irrespective of their class, cast or religion to enter into a life of holy matrimony. We understand that financial constraints often force families to put off marriages of young women and it is fast spreading as a social issue. Through this initiative, we want to see the dream of the marriage coming true for all eligible women of marriage age irrespective of their caste, creed or religion”, said M.P Ahammed, Chairman, Malabar Gold & Diamonds.
“We have already started the programme in Kerala. Having seen its runaway success, we decided to expand it to the all India level”, he added.
“We expect that this programme will catch up with the imagination of the wider public and hence we see socially minded people chipping in with whatsoever possible to encourage this initiative. Malabar Gold is committed to the social welfare of economicaly deprived sections and giving back a part of our profit to the society”, he said.
About:Malabar Gold & Diamonds is the flagship company of Malabar Group. It was established in 1993 in Kozhikode, Kerala. Today, it has a strong retail network of over 253 outlets spread across nine countries with annual turnover of Rs 26-27,000 crore. The company currently ranks among the BIG 5 jewellery retailers globally. Malabar Gold & Diamonds manages its operations in India out of the HQ located in Kozhikode, Kerala and its international operations from the corporate office located in Dubai, UAE. The operations are further supported by regional offices in other Indian states and across the other countries where it is present.
The jewellery arm caters to a global audience supported by a team consisting of 14 nationalities that are proficient in 50+ different languages. Malabar Gold & Diamonds successfully manages multiple retail formats with presence in high streets, reputed malls, department stores and travel retail.
