gjnrf.org

It is a well-known fact that charity runs in the genes of all the noble people involved in the trade and each business house in this Diamond industry spends a given percentage of their earnings on charity as a routine. The charitable activities include running of schools, hospitals, medical camps including eye operation camps for the weaker sections of the society. Other charitable activities are running of orphanages, old age homes, Panjrapoles for old and disabled animals. However, it was during the year 1999, in the aftermath of Kargil War that some trade illuminiaries (names with held at their request) got together and floated a trust by the name "Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation" which was registered in Mumbai under Mumbai Trust Act, 1950 on 1st August, 1999.

Since the inception of Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation in June 1999, it has carried out several activities as follows:

The following assistance was provided to defence personnel and their families in the aftermath of Kargil war of 1999:-

Rs. 1.61 Cr. was donated to create a corpus at Defence Headquarters, New Delhi for awarding merit based scholarships to the tune of Rs. 15 Lacs per annum to about 1000 children of Defence Forces personnel.

Computer Centres were established in 11 Army schools all over the country, at a cost of Rs. 36 Lacs.

Assistance to war widows was provided through various Regimental Centres to the tune of Rs. 50 Lacs.

Construction of Diamond AWWA Hostel at Kalina, Mumbai at a total cost of Rs. 3 Cr. (Our contribution Rs. 2 Cr.). This hostel has a capacity of 96 students and is rated very highly in the Army circles. We have provided most modern living conditions over a plot of land covering approx. 20000 Sq. Ft.

Our total expenditure on welfare measures towards defence forces have been to the tune of Rs. 4.6 Cr.

When the State of Orissa was hit by a devastating cyclone during the year 2000, the Foundation, with the assistance of Bhansali Trust undertook the following relief measures to provide relief to the victims of this cyclone:-

  • Distribution of food, clothing, utensils, books, tents and survival necessities.
  • Tilling and cultivation of 30000 acres of land damaged by the cyclone.
  • Repairs to the school buildings in remote villages.
  • Construction of a primary school at Dolapadi, Dist. Bhadrak.
  • Construction and furnishing of an orphanage in 22137 Sq. Ft. area with a capacity of 120 destitute children.
  • Our expenditure towards Orissa cyclone was to the tune of approx. Rs. 4.4 Cr.

You all are aware of the massive destruction of lives and property caused to the people of Gujarat by the earthquake of 26th January, 2001. Immediate relief measures were provided like, shelter, food, clothing and necessities to the victims of earthquake. This was in addition to medical assistance including surgical teams which were flown in from Antwerp to provide emergency medical services including major surgery at site.

In the long term, we have provided Relief and Rehabilitation to earthquake affected people of Gujarat as follows:-

Construction of 3 villages as follows:-

  • Diamond Nagar, Amran

    With 510 houses and all infrastructural facilities including roads, electric supply, water supply and sewage etc. in approx. 272735 Sq. Ft. area.

    Total cost of this Project was Rs. 12 Cr, out of which, we provided approx. Rs. 4 Cr. The balance was provided by Govt. of Gujarat and Surat Diamond Association.

    Diamond Nagar Amran was successfully completed in February, 2003 and inaugurated on 14thMarch, 2003 by H.E. Mr. Camille Paulus, Governor of the Province of Antwerp in the presence of Dr.VallabhbhaiKathiria, Honourable Central Minister of State for HRD.

  • NutanChitrod Village

    With 604 houses and all infrastructural facilities including roads, electric supply, water supply and sewage etc. in approx. 289805 Sq. Ft. area.

    Total cost of this Project was Rs. 10 Cr, out of which, we provided approx. Rs. 6 Cr. The balance was provided by Govt. of Gujarat.

    NutanChitrod Village was successfully completed in February 2003 an

    • Inaugurated on 13th March, 2003 by H.E. Shri Sundar Singhji Bhandari
    • Hon. Governor of Gujarat in the presence of H.E. Mr. Camille Paulus
    • Hon. Governor of the Province of Antwerp, Belgium.
  • Sahyog Nagar, Bhuj

    A new village was created behind Collector's Office in Bhuj with 373 houses and all infrastructural facilities including roads, electric supply, water supply and sewage etc. in approx. 186500 Sq. Ft. area.

    Total cost of this Project was Rs. 6 Cr, out of which, we provided approx. Rs. 3 Cr. The balance was provided by Govt. of Gujarat.

    Sahyog Nagar, Bhuj was successfully completed in April 2004 and inaugurated on 9thJanuary, 2005 by Mr. Nicholas Oppenheimer, Chairman, De Beers.

    Construction of 3 schools as follows:-

    • SahyogSaraswati Vidyamandir, Gandhidham

      A new school building was constructed in approx. 34000 Sq. Ft. area with a student capacity of 1000 at a total cost of approx. 2.7 Cr. Entire cost was borne by us.

      This modern school was successfully completed during March 2003 and inaugurated on 7thSeptember, 2003 by Mr Gordon Gilchrist, Managing Director, Rio Tinto Diamonds.

    • SahyogSaraswati Vidyamandir, Anjar

      A new school building was constructed in approx. 42000 Sq. Ft. area with a student capacity of 1200 at a total cost of approx. Rs. 3 Cr. Entire cost was borne by us.

      This school also was successfully completed in March 2003 and inaugurated on 16thOctober, 2003 by Mr Gary Ralfe, Managing irector, Diamond Trading Company.

    • Indrabai Girls' High School, Bhuj

      A new building was constructed in approx. 60000 Sq. Ft. area at the site of the old school building which was totally destroyed during the earthquake of 2001 Student capacity of this school is 3000. Total cost is approx. Rs. 6.5 Cr. Entire cost was borne by us. Along with the school, we have also provided them with a Girls' Hostel with a capacity of 96 students and an Auditorium with a seating capacity of 500 persons.

      Indrabai Girls' High School, Bhuj was successfully completed in June 2003 inaugurated by Mr. Nicky Oppenheimer Chairman of Diamond Trading Company on 9th January, 2005 and Sahyog Girls' Hostel and Sahyog Auditorium were successfully completed in September 2004 and inaugurated by Mrs. Strilli Oppenheimer on 9thJanuary, 2005.

    Construction of 3 Hospitals as follows:-

    • Sahyog General Hospital, Limbdi

      A new hospital building was constructed with a capacity of 150 beds in approx. 64000 Sq. Ft. area and with most modern facilities with state of the art equipment. Cost of the new hospital building and equipment was Rs. 7 Cr.

      Re-construction and Retrofitting of R. R. Hospital and Baluba Maternity Home.

      The old hospital building in approx. 40,000 Sq. Ft. area which was in ruins after the earthquake was reconstructed and retrofitted under our arrangements. The hospital project was successfully completed and inaugurated by Shri Shankarsinghji Vaghela, Hon. Union Minister for Textiles, Govt. of India on 7thJanuary, 2005.

    • Sahyog Arogya Kendra, Bhachau.

      A Community Health Centre was constructed in approx. 27000 Sq. Ft. area at Bhachau with a capacity of 30 beds and with most modern facilities with state of the art equipment. Cost of the new hospital building and equipment was Rs. 3.25 Cr.

      This Community Health Centre was successfully completed in March 2003 and inaugurated by Mr. Gordon Gilchrist, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Diamonds on 6th September, 2003 in the presence of Shri I.K. Jadeja, Honourable Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat.

    • Sahyog Arogya Kendra, Rapar.

      A Community Health Centre was constructed in approx. 27000 Sq. Ft. area at Rapar with a capacity of 30 beds with most modern facilities with state of the art equipment. Cost of the new hospital building and equipment was Rs. 3.50 Cr., totally borne by us.

      Community Health Centre, Rapar was successfully completed in March 2003 and inaugurated by Mr. Gary Ralfe, Managing Director, Diamond Trading Company on 16th October, 2003.

    In addition to the above, we provided financial support and assistance to the following projects:-

    • Shri I. J. Mehta Vinaymandir School at Palanpur to the tune of Rs. 25 lakhs
    • Juna Sadulka Village in Rajkot District to the tune of Rs. 25 lakhs.
    • Primary Schools in Rajkot, where our financial assistance was up to Rs. 15 lakhs.

We contributed Rs. 51 Lacs towards the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and provided immediate relief and rehabilitation to the victims of Tsunami tragedy through Shree Banaskantha Palanpur Jain Association, Chennai, to the tune of Rs. 2 Lacs. We had carried out survey of Andaman and Nicobar islands also but could not provide shelters as envisaged due to non-availability of ships.

During the floods in Mumbai in July 2005, in Surat during August 2006 and in Bihar during July-August 2008, the Foundation was quick to respond with relief items in terms of food, mineral water, milk for infants and books, stationery items etc. for school going children. We also provided shelters and replacement of equipment of workers so that they could be on their feet once again. Our expenditure on all these was to the tune of Rs. 1.31 Cr.

  • MUMBAI BOMB BLASTS (2006)

    We have donated Rs.6.72 lacs as aid to the families of the victims of the Mumbai Bomb Blasts.

We have provided relief to the tune of Rs. 7.50 Lacs to the victims of Terror Attacks of 26th November, 2008 in Mumbai.

13th July 2011 will go down as a black day in the history of Mumbai Diamond Industry when there were Bomb blasts at three places including one each at Opera House, close to Panchratna and Zaveri Bazar. In these blasts 26 people were killed and many injured.

GJNRF distributed cheques worth Rs. 27,47,014/- by the noble hands of Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Prithiviraj Chavan.

The following help was provided to the needy children and families of unemployed Ratna Kalakars in Gujarat:-

  • Scholarships amounting to Rs. 1.75 Crores at the noble hands of Swami Shri Sachchidanandji at Ahmedabad on 16th March, 2009 in the presence of Shri Ketan B. Parikh, Chairman, Shri Praveen Shankar Pandya, Managing Trustee and Shri Jitendra K. Bhansali, Jt. Managing Trustee. The scholarships were given to approx. 35000 students and covered about 1200 Nos. of schools all over Gujarat.
  • Scholarships to 50 students to the tune of total Rs. 1 Lac, ration kits comprising 15 kgs. wheat, 5 kgs. rice and 2 kgs. moong dal each to 100 families at a total cost of Rs. 390/- each at the noble hands of Mr. Jean Marc Lieberherr of M/s. Rio Tinto Diamonds.
  • 50 nos. sewing machines were donated to the families of unemployed Diamond Workers so that they can earn their livelihood. Foundation contributed Rs. 500/- per machine, the balance has been given as a loan to the respective families at the noble hands of Shri Vallabhbhai Kakadia, M.L.A. Gujarat.

Unlike wars, cyclones, floods and Earthquakes which are noisy events and attract immediate attention of the world, drought is a silent killer and hence kills personnel, cattle, animals and birds and even marine life slowly and silently. Your foundation spent Rs. 43,11, 000/- towards providing relief to the affected victims and for on projects for better water storage facilities for future.

Foundation has purchased and provided two numbers of heavy duty Backhoe Loader Machine (CAT Machine) to Collector of Wardha at a cost of Rs. 52.5 lakhs for deepening and broadening of rivers and other water resources in the State. These will be used on need basis in WARDHA and neighbouring districts.

The State of Jammu & Kashmir was hit by an unprecedented scale of floods on the night of 6th September, 2014, creating a massive destruction.

Our Foundation provided relief to the affected people as given below:-

  • Serving of cooked food for a week immediately after the floods.
  • Distribution of 5000 Nos. of Woolen Blankets.
  • Distribution of 1100 Nos. of Pherans.
  • Supply of 5 Nos. of Normal Syringe Infusion Pumps to G. B. Pant Children Hospital, Srinagar.
  • Our total expenditure towards relief in Jammu & Kashmir was to the tune of Rs. 11,97,500/-.

As you can see for yourself, establishment of BDB Emergency Medical Centre is the latest feather in the cap of Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation. The centre is fully equipped to provide emergency medical assistance to the workers at all levels as also to the visitors at very concessional rates.

A function "SALUTE TO INDIAN ARMY" was held on 20TH October, 2016, presided by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis at the iconic Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in Mumbai wherein Gem & Jewellery National Reflief Foundation presented Fixed Deposits to the families of Uri Martyrs. Shri Devendra Fadnavis handed over Fixed Deposits of Rs. 8 lakhs to each family of victims of Uri Terror Attack.

GJNRF Team Visits Kerala, Distributes Emergency Aid to Over 3,000 Flood Victims

Members of the gem and jewellery industry fraternity visited six relief camps in the flood-hit areas of Kerala and distributed emergency relief materials to over 3,000 people.

The Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF) was among the early responders to the Covid-19 crisis which hit India in late March 2020, immediately mobilising support from within the G&J industry.

To ensure maximum impact, all activity was undertaken in coordination with the Governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat, as well as local government authorities (District administration, panchayats and municipal bodies) and in association with charitable organisations and NGOs which worked at the grassroots level.

April – Oct 2020

GJNRF organised mega relief campaign for migrant, daily wage earners and needy communities during the 2020 lockdown on account of Covid-19, while extending support to frontline workers.

The major focus was on food distribution and taking care of the artisans and migrant workers on the one hand, and equipping the frontline Covid warriors in hospitals and police station with safety kits and medical supplies to ensure their personal safety

Areas covered:

  • For relief ration kits: Mumbai - Dahisar, Malad and Zaveri Bazar; Gujarat- Palanpur, Visnagar, Surendranagar, Botad, Surat
  • Food and snacks for migrant workers: Bandra, Kurla, Vasai, Virar railway stations and at Raigadh (Maharashtra) and Surat (Gujarat)
  • Safety equipment at Mumbai hospitals and BMC centres, Police Stations
  • Various hospitals across Mumbai and in Alibag, Surat, Dombivali
  • BKC Quarantine Centre with 400 beds

March – May 2021

Subsequently, GJNRF took up more long-term measures aimed at ensuring that the health care institutions – quarantine centres as well as hospitals and rural health care centres – were properly equipped so that patients who needed more intensive treatment could receive proper medical care.

Areas covered:

  • Equipment provided to government-run Covid quarantine centres and those run by recognized organisations at five locations in Mumbai and across 56 PHCs, CHCs and Hospitals in Banaskantha District as well as hospitals in Dharampur and Surendranagar.
  • Dialysis machines for Apex Kidney Care Foundation
  • Renovation / refurbishment of BMC and government hospitals in Mumbai
  • Ambulances in Mumbai, Chandrapur and Surat

August – September 2021

A Vaccination Drive for Diamond Artisans and Daily Wage Assorters in Bandra and Dahisar in Mumbai was taken up with support from Bharat Diamond Bourse, The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council and the Borivali Diamond Cutters Polishing Association.

World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) raised funds from its members conducting a ‘Diamond Aid’ campaign to support the drive.

Nearly 10,000 doses of the vaccine were given.

For more information on the activities of Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation and to support its campaign, please visit gjnrf.org