loader image
Connect with us

National News

Malabar Group Allocates INR 150 crore to scale up its CSR Initiatives in 2025-26

Published

on

1,425 Views
  • On World Hunger Day, commits to distribute daily 70,000 meals in India and Zambia, totalling 2.50 crore meals in 2025-26 under its Hunger Free World initiative 
  • In the last 3 years since its launch, the initiative has provided 2.5 crore meals to the underprivileged
  • Malabar Group has dedicated 60 percent of its annual CSR budget to initiatives aimed at eradicating hunger and poverty, reinforcing its commitment to make a deeper social impact.

Malabar Group, India’s leading business conglomerate and the parent company of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, has allocated INR 150 crore in 2025-26 for scaling up its CSR initiatives focused on healthcare, education, hunger & poverty alleviation, women empowerment, environment protection and housing for less privileged.

Under its flagship CSR initiative ‘The Hunger Free World’, the Group has committed to distribute 70,000 meals daily in India and Zambia to the under-privileged, totalling 2.50 crore meals in 2025-26. This represents a significant leap from its cumulative achievement of 2.5 crore meals served over the past 3 years and signals a deepened commitment to the cause of food security for underserved communities. The initiative is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger.

At an event held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, Janpath, New Delhi on May 28, 2025 which also marks the World Hunger Day, Dr. Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog & G-20 Sherpa launched the next phase of the Group’s CSR programmes. Other dignitaries included M.P. Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group; KP Abdul Salam, Vice Chairman; O Asher, Managing Director of India Operations; Group Executive Directors Nishad A K and K P Veerankutty; Group Director PA Abdulla Ibrahim; Dr. Idrees V, Chairman, THANAL Daya Rehabilitation Trust; Jishad N K, Zonal Head – North and other management officiates.

Commenting on the initiative, MP Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group said, “At Malabar Group, CSR is an integral part of our culture and we believe in giving back to society.  We dedicate May 28 as our annual CSR day; we reaffirm our pledge to stand with the underserved through sustained and impactful action. Our CSR initiatives are a reflection of that enduring commitment. While we are doing our utmost, a greater impact can be achieved if more organisations join this mission. With 295 million people globally facing acute hunger (as per UN data), immediate action is non-negotiable. This urgency drives our meal distribution efforts under the Hunger Free World initiative. Having said that, along with food distribution, the need of the hour is concerted efforts to boost production, creating jobs, and fostering economic growth to bring in sustainable change.”

The Hunger Free World project currently distributes 70,000 meal packets daily across India and Zambia. In India, over 60,000 nutrient-rich meals are provided daily through 167 centres spanning 20 states. In Zambia, the group collaborates with the Zambian government to serve daily meals to 10,000 students across three schools. The Hunger Free World project operates state-of-the-art kitchens equipped with modern facilities and staffed by trained culinary experts and hygiene-conscious personnel.

Under its educational and social welfare initiative, Malabar Group has established 716 micro-learning centres across India, providing primary education and nutrition to street children. Over 32,000 children have enrolled, with 9,000 already integrated into formal schools. This project is being run in collaboration with Thanal. In addition, scholarships have been awarded to 1,14,000 girls to support their education.

The Group has also launched an initiative called Grandma Homes under which shelters have been built to offer free accommodation and care for destitute women. Currently operational in Bengaluru, Kerala and Hyderabad. Plans are underway to expand the initiative to Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai.

On the healthcare and disaster relief front, the Group has plans to set up non-profit medical stores in all 140 locations in Kerala, offering medicines at subsidised rates. Such stores are already operational in 27 locations in the state.

Malabar Group has also launched the Uyirppu Project which supports higher education for children affected by last year’s landslide in Wayanad, providing financial aid to 134 students. Since its inception, Malabar Gold and Diamonds has been allocating 5% of its profits to social welfare.

Continue Reading
Advertisement JewelBuzz Banner
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

National News

Outstanding gold-backed loans  surge by  128% from a year earlier

Published

on

1,399 Views

India’s appetite for borrowing against gold is reshaping the country’s credit landscape. Outstanding gold-backed loans have surged 128% from a year earlier, crossing Rs.4 lakh crore ($48 billion) for the first time, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India. As of Jan. 31, loans secured by gold jewellery stood at Rs.4,00,517 crore, marking one of the fastest expansions in retail credit in recent years.

The boom in gold loans has helped propel overall non-food bank credit growth to 14.4% year-on-year. Personal loans now account for 34.5% of total bank lending, outpacing other segments and underscoring a broader shift toward consumer-driven credit expansion

Gold loans alone contributed roughly 9% of incremental bank credit during the period. Between January 2024 and January 2026, outstanding gold-backed credit rose by nearly Rs.3.1 lakh crore—an increase of about 338% over two years—more than quadrupling the size of the portfolio.

Two factors are driving the surge. First, gold prices have climbed roughly 152% over the past two years, increasing the collateral value of household holdings. Second, regulatory guidance requiring banks to classify loans secured by gold explicitly as gold loans has sharpened reporting and accelerated balance-sheet growth in the segment.

The trend highlights a distinctive feature of India’s financial system: households’ vast stock of physical gold, long viewed primarily as a store of wealth, is increasingly being mobilized as collateral for formal credit.

While personal lending and credit to nonbank financial companies within the services sector continue to expand rapidly, industrial credit remains uneven. Loans to micro, small and medium enterprises are growing steadily, but borrowing by large corporations has stayed relatively muted.

Since March 21, 2025, banks have added Rs.21.8 lakh crore to their non-food loan books, translating into 12% growth for the financial year to date. Yet it is gold—rather than factories or infrastructure—that is emerging as one of the most dynamic engines of India’s current credit cycle.

Continue Reading

Trending

JewelBuzz is Asia’s First Digital Jewellery Media & India’s No.1 B2B Jewellery Magazine, published by AM Media House. Since 2016, we’ve been the trusted source for jewellery news, market trends, trade insights, exhibitions, podcasts, and brand stories, connecting jewellers, retailers, and industry professionals worldwide.

We would like to hear from you...

GET WHATSAPP NEWS ALERTS

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x