In observance of World Hunger Day, Malabar Group, the sixth-largest diamond company in the world, distributed food packages throughout Kolkata as part of their CSR initiative, Hunger-Free World, which aims to feed the nation’s hungry with wholesome meals every day. Malabar Gold and Diamonds Store, Camac Street, and Malabar Gold and Diamonds Store, Kankurgachi, undertook the “Hunger-Free World” Project, which fed the city’s hungry population.

The ground-breaking “Hunger-Free World” project by Malabar Group is committed to feeding the hungry every day and fighting hunger worldwide. It is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) of the UN.

The well-known social welfare organization Thanal-Daya Rehabilitation Trust assists in the implementation of the Hunger-Free World initiative. Different locations have been outfitted with contemporary kitchens so that talented chefs may prepare wholesome cuisine in a clean setting. The food packages are delivered to the doorsteps of the poor people identified by Thanal and the volunteers of the Malabar Group in the urban suburbs and streets.

For the fiscal year 2024–2025, Malabar Group also revealed plans to broaden the scope of its “Hunger-Free World” initiative and present an ambitious yearly distribution plan aimed at providing 51,000 wholesome meals per day to a greater number of individuals and cities around the nation. The organization intends to grow and is now distributing about 3500 food packets throughout Kolkata, with a total of 5700 food packets distributed throughout the East Region, which includes West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. It also wants to expand to additional towns.

Except for a few locations in the Gulf, the plan is currently being implemented in 37 cities, including Kolkata, that are dispersed throughout 16 states and Union Territories. The scheme will now encompass 70 locations across 16 States as part of the expansion. In addition, the Group intends to introduce the same initiative to Zambian schoolchildren. Presently, the ambitious campaign distributes up to 31,000 food packets. 51,000 nutrient-dense meal packets will now be given as part of the scaling up.

To evaluate the social and economic reasons for hunger, the NGO volunteers are also conducting surveys with the beneficiaries. As part of this strategy, the Malabar Group and Thanal have already launched the “Grandma Home” project, which identifies impoverished and abandoned older women and offers them free housing, food, and other medical treatment. There are two of these “Grandma Homes” in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Similar residences are being planned for Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and a few more carefully chosen cities in Kerala. This will allow abandoned and orphaned women a chance to live honorably. Additionally, the Group has started a microlearning scheme to help street children with their primary schooling.

In addition, the Malabar Group engages in other charity and social welfare endeavors, such as providing funding for medical treatment, assisting female students with their studies, and contributing to the construction of houses. Five percent of the Group’s verticals’ profits, which include Malabar Gold & Diamonds, are set aside as a CSR fund to support social welfare initiatives. The Group has already invested Rs. 246 crore in these kinds of social welfare initiatives.

Priyanka Dutta