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Mumbai, 24 October, 2016: Hon’ble Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis presided over a first-of-its-kind event at the iconic Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in Mumbai wherein Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF) presented relief cheques to the families of Uri martyrs. The event is supported by Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Bharat Diamond Bourse and Mumbai Diamond Merchants’ Association. Shri. Fadnavis handed over relief cheques of Rs 10 lakhs to each family of victims of Uri terror attack.

Jewellers and traders at Bharat Diamond Bourse were overwhelmed by patriotic fervour as the families of Uri martyrs gathered at the Volleyball Court in the august presence of distinguished State dignitaries and key functionaries of apex trade bodies. Hon. Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis along with Mrs. Amruta Fadnavis set the tone when they consoled the families who had made the supreme sacrifice for the sake of the nation. Shri Fadnavis, who inaugurated the state of the art data centre at the Diamond Bourse today, described the gesture of offering tribute to the families of Uri attack martyrs as a “landmark initiative that support the families of our soldiers over the years.  I am happy to note that the diamond merchant community regularly support the cause of our soldier families and congratulate the people in the sector for providing all kind of supports including financing education to the children of our soldiers”.

Shri Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC & GJNRF said, “I express my deep gratitude to our Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis for gracing this solemn occasion. Our soldiers are our real diamonds! On the eve of the festival of lights, we jewellers, hope to bring a ray of light to the families whose grief is too wide to be bridged. This initiative signifies the gem & jewellery industry’s commitment towards the betterment of society.”
  
Shri Anoop Mehta, President, Bharat Diamond Bourse added, “Most of our gem & jewellery trade community members engage in individual charity but today’s joint initiative is unique as it represents a collective effort. This ‘act of giving’ to India’s armed forces is a step that will open the floodgates of constantly recognizing the contribution of our soldiers. The value of their contribution to our society.”

The gem & jewellery industry set up the Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF) in 1999 to carry out its charitable and philanthropic activities.  In the past, GJNRF was in the forefront, aiding victims of calamity, war, terror in every possible way, thereby serving the society and making a huge difference in their lives with new commitments and promises. Some of the past activities industry include:

• Gem & jewellery industry came forward to help the defense personal and their families in the aftermath of the Kargil war. Towards that Diamond Awwa Hostel at Kalina, Mumbai was built by GJNRF with a capacity of 100 students is rated very highly in the army circle. Further a corpus was created at defense headers in New Delhi for awarding merit based scholarships to the students of defense forces personal.
• After the unfortunate cyclone that hit and devastated the state of Orissa, the industry constructed an orphanage. As part of the rehabilitation process for the villagers, 30,000 acres of agricultural land belonging to 30,000 families was put into cultivation. The lives of many were reinstated by providing agricultural tools, tractors, water pumps, tools etc.
• The gem & jewellery industry has put in heart and soul for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of the earthquake which had adversely affected the people of Gujarat by collecting an impressive amount of 55 Crore rupees from across the world. A humongous task of reconstructing 3 villages were undertaken with 600 odd houses in each village including facilities like electricity, drainage system, etc. 3 state of the art hospital in addition to 3 schools were built for the benefit of the residents.
• The spirited commitment of the industry continued when floods hit Mumbai, Surat and Bihar by supplying relief items
• This year in the month of August, as part of its corporate social responsibility, GJEPC, the gem & jewellery industry in association with De Beers, made significant contributions to two NGOs earlier this year – Swadesh Foundation (rural empowerment) and Friends of Tribal Society. 33 leading manufacturers and 260+ leading Indian retailers present at the gala dinner pledged their support to the society for commitment to good causes.

About GJEPC: The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) was set up by the Ministry of Commerce and industry, Government of India (GoI) in 1966. It was one of several Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) launched by the Indian Government, to boost the country’s export thrust, when India’s post-Independence economy began making forays in the international markets. Since 1998, the GJEPC has been granted autonomous status. The GJEPC is the apex body of the gems & jewellery industry and today it represents over 6,000 exporters in the sector. With headquarters in Mumbai, the GJEPC has Regional Offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Surat and Jaipur, all of which are major centres for the industry. It thus has a wide reach and is able to have a closer interaction with members to serve them in a direct and more meaningful manner. Over the past decades, the GJEPC has emerged as one of the most active EPCs, and has continuously strived to both expand its reach and depth in its promotional activities as well as widen and increase services to its members.

About BDB: Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) is one of the Largest and most sophisticated Diamond centers in the World. Our Journey started at Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai from 2010, now with over 4,000 members engaged in import and export, manufacturing and marketing of rough and polished diamonds, BDB has created a business framework to conduct their transactions in maximum convenience and security.

About MDMA: The Mumbai Diamond Merchants Association was established way-back in 1906 to serve Indian diamond trade and industry. MDMA celebrated its centenary on January 12, 2008, with 100 glorious years of service to this sparkling trade and industry at its credit. The main object of this organization is to help members to transact business comfortably in a hall provided by the organization. Another objective is to lay down certain rules and regulations to ensure fairness in trade dealings. This remains its object even today so that standards of ethical business are maintained.