National News
Union Minister Piyush Goyal Unveils Malabar Gold & Diamonds ₹200 Crore CSR Initiative for FY 2026–27
Piyush Goyal launches Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ Rs.200 crore CSR plan, focusing on education, women empowerment, healthcare, and sustainability, impacting over 2 lakh beneficiaries across India.
Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the world’s fifth-largest retail jewellery group and a responsible jewellery brand, has announced its CSR initiatives worth INR 200 crore for the financial year 2026–27 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, in the presence of Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry.
At the initiative, the Union Minister inaugurated the distribution of educational scholarships for 33,000 girl students across India. The event was attended by Malabar Group Chairman M.P. Ahammad, Managing Director O. Asher, Executive Directors Nishad A.K. and Abdulla Ibrahim, Kerala House Resident Commissioner Puneet Kumar (IAS), Pratham CEO Rukmini Banerji, and Thanal Chairman Dr. Idris, among others.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, stated that: “The initiatives of the Malabar Charitable Trust align with Narendra Modi’s vision of women empowerment through programmes like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. He added that the Rs.200 crore CSR allocation will strengthen India’s progress, emphasising that growth is rooted in the empowerment of women and youth. He also encouraged students to dream big, aspire beyond limitations, and contribute to the nation’s growth story.”
M.P. Ahammad, Chairman, Malabar Group, highlighted that: “Human resource development is key to national growth, stressing the importance of quality education in shaping future talent. He reiterated the group’s commitment to long-term societal impact through sustained CSR investments.”

During FY 2026–27, CSR projects worth Rs.200 crore will be implemented across 3,000+ locations in 19 states, covering 15 major initiatives and benefiting over 2 lakh people. A major focus remains on education, with Rs.114 crore allocated to initiatives like micro-learning centres for street children and scholarships for girls. Additionally, Rs.30 crore is earmarked for the Hunger Free World project, Rs.14.2 crore for healthcare, and Rs.25 crore for housing initiatives such as the ‘Grandma Home’ project. A further Rs.6.8 crore is allocated for humanitarian activities and Rs.10 crore for environmental protection.
As part of the group’s 33rd anniversary, 33,000 girl students from 284 districts across 18 states will receive scholarships this year, taking the total beneficiaries to over 1.15 lakh girls since inception. All initiatives are executed through the Malabar Charitable Trust.
For the rehabilitation of street children, the brand has established 1,543 micro-learning centres across 17 states in partnership with Pratham Education Foundation. This number is set to increase to 2,500 centres, with enrolment expected to grow from 64,000 to 1 lakh students.
Under the Hunger Free World project, 1,15,000 people receive nutritious meals daily across India, Zambia, and Ethiopia. Other initiatives include the ‘Grandma Home’ project for destitute women and Malabar-Thanal pharmacies, offering subsidised medicines to the underprivileged.
Guided by ESG principles, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has consistently allocated 5% of its net trading profit towards CSR since its inception. Its initiatives span women empowerment, healthcare, education, and environmental protection, in collaboration with organisations like Pratham and Thanal.
These sustained efforts have already created a positive impact on over 1.8 million lives across India, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth.
National News
Augmont-NSE Partnership Drives Strong Start for India’s Gold EGR Market, with Over 1,60,357 Units Traded in First Few Hours
Electronic Gold Receipts segment witnesses active two-way trading on day one, with 1,60,375 units traded, representing approximately 6 kg of gold and a traded value of ₹23.34 crore as of 04:25 PM
India’s gold market took an important step towards greater integration with the commencement of live trading in the Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) segment on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) today. Enabled through the collaboration between NSE and Augmont Enterprises Limited, the launch brings together NSE’s regulated exchange infrastructure and Augmont’s integrated physical gold ecosystem, creating a new avenue for investors to trade physically backed gold.
On its opening day, the EGR segment witnessed active two-way trading, with 1,60,357 units traded by approximately 04:25 PM, representing around 6 kg of gold. The trading activity translated into a cumulative traded value of approximately Rs.23.34 crore during the first session. The segment also demonstrated orderly price discovery, with prices remaining within a narrow intraday range of Rs.1,450.50 to Rs.1,460.00. The bid-ask spread remained between Rs.0.50 and Rs.1.00, indicating continuous two-way quotations and an active order book.
Each EGR represents 100 mg of physical gold, with the underlying gold held in SEBI-regulated vaults. Investors can buy and sell EGRs through their demat accounts on the exchange, while retaining the option of converting their holdings into physical gold, subject to the applicable framework. The segment follows a T+1 settlement cycle, under which trades executed on a particular day are settled on the next business day, facilitating the transfer of securities and funds through the exchange’s regulated clearing and settlement mechanism.
Under the strategic collaboration, Augmont serves as a key physical gold and infrastructure partner for NSE’s EGR segment, supporting the creation, vaulting, redemption and liquidity ecosystem. The gold backing the EGRs is sourced through Augmont’s integrated refining infrastructure, bringing together physical gold processing and exchange-based trading within a regulated framework.
The commencement of live trading marks an important step towards building a more transparent and accessible gold market in India. By enabling standardised gold to be traded through an exchange-based mechanism, EGRs have the potential to strengthen price discovery, improve market participation and create a more integrated ecosystem for physical gold.
Ketan Kothari, Whole-time Director, Augmont Enterprises Limited, said:

“The commencement of EGR trading marks the transition of our collaboration with NSE from building the underlying infrastructure to enabling a live, exchange-traded gold market. The day-one trading activity, continuous two-way quotations and orderly price discovery are important initial milestones for a new market segment.
At Augmont, we have brought together our refining capabilities and physical gold infrastructure to support the creation, vaulting and redemption of EGRs. We believe this initiative can play an important role in making physical gold more accessible, transparent and integrated with India’s formal financial ecosystem. Our focus remains on strengthening the ecosystem and supporting its wider adoption among investors, brokers and other market participants.“
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