Laljibhai Patel

Last updated

Laljibhai Tulsibhai Patel
Laljibhai Patel Social.jpg
Born (1955-11-28) 28 November 1955 (age 69)
Ugamedi, Botad, Gujarat, India [1]
Occupations
Years active1985–present
Spouse
Nirmalaben
​
(m. 1977)​
Children2
Website Laljibhai Patel

Laljibhai Patel (born 28 November 1955) is an Indian diamantaire and the chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd (DDPL). [2] [3] He has been associated with the diamond industry for more than four decades.

Contents

In 2015, Patel was included in the Wealth-X list of India’s wealthiest jewelers, ranking among the top 10 with a reported net worth of $480 million. [4] [2] He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Retail Jewelers India for contributions to the jewelry industry and community development in Surat and Gujarat. [5]

Career

After relocating to Surat from Ugamedi in 1974-1975, Laljibhai Patel began his career as a diamond trader. In 1985, with childhood friend Tulsibhai Goti, he founded Shreeji Gems, a small diamond manufacturing unit. The company grew, becoming a partnership firm in 1993 and renamed Dharmanandan Diamonds. It was formally incorporated as Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd on 31 August 2007. In November 2007, the company became a De Beers Sightholder. [5]

Personal life

Patel was born in Ugamedi, Botad district, Gujarat, India, to a farming family. He moved to Rajkot for secondary school, studying at Gurukul, Rajkot, where he befriended his business partner Tulsibhai Goti. He is married and has two sons. [1] [6]

Social work

Laljibhai Patel has supported multiple social initiatives, focusing on preventing female foeticide, promoting water conservation, improving education, enhancing healthcare services, and tackling social illiteracy.[ citation needed ]

Save the Girl Child Mega Campaign

Under Patel's leadership, the Samast Patidar Samaj [7] launched the "Save the Girl Child Mega Campaign" (Maha Laddu Beti Bachao Abhiyan) to combat female foeticide and promote gender equality. The campaign involved collecting grain and water from 235,000 households to create a large Boondi laddu. [8]

The distribution of informative booklets and a gathering in Surat in 2006, where 1.2 million people pledged to oppose female foeticide, were part of this initiative, which was recognized by the Limca Book of Records. [9] The campaign's impact on Gujarat's gender ratio has been reported.[ citation needed ]

River Linking & Rainwater Conservation

Patel initiated a large-scale water conservation project in Ugamedi, creating three large artificial ponds. Water was diverted from the Keri to supplement the supply, as the initial plan to fill the ponds using the Sonal river was insufficient.[ citation needed ]

This project has been described as the first instance of river interlinking in India, inspired by Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision. [10] [11]

Clean Ganga Mission

Patel purchased Narendra Modi's suit at auction for US$693,174; the proceeds went towards cleaning the Ganga river. [12] This purchase is recognized by Guinness Book of World Records. [13]

Schools in Tribal Area

Patel has built 10 schools in the Dang and Narmada districts, each accommodating over 500 tribal students.[ citation needed ]

Promoting Gurukul Education

As an alumnus of Gurukul Rajkot, Patel serves as a Trustee at Shree Swaminarayan Rajkot Gurukul.[ citation needed ]

Kanya Gurukul (Girl's Gurukul)

Patel established a girls' Gurukul in Surat, designed to accommodate 3,000 girls.[ citation needed ]

Helping Hand for Specially Abled

Through the Shantuben T. Patel Charitable Trust, Patel initiated a campaign to provide artificial limbs to people with disabilities.[ citation needed ]

Monetary Donation to Hospitals

Patel has donated to various hospitals.[ citation needed ]

Positions in various organizations

References

  1. 1 2 "Diamond Czar - Laljibhai Patel, Chairman, Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd". Diamond World News Service. 17 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Nazraana Retail Jeweller India Awards 2015". India Infoline News Service. 1 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Laljibhai Patel tops the list of wealthiest Indian jewellers". News18.com. 1 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "India's 10 wealthiest jewellers". Rediff. 1 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 "De Beers Sightholders".
  6. ↑ "पढ़िए मोदी का सूट खरीदने वाले लालजी भाई का कच्चा चिट्ठा". अमर उजाला. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Samast Patidar Samaj (SPS) is a charitable organization established to support environmental, social, and economic improvement like Save Gilrl Child, Education, Health Care etc in Surat and in the State of Gujarat". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Save the Girl Child Mega Campaign | Beti Bachao Beti Padhao | L T Patel". www.ltpatel.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Beti Bachao Abhiyan".
  10. ↑ "Bhavnagar village sets example in river interlinking". The Times of India. 17 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "River interlinking makes Ugamedi village drought-proof". The Times of India. 3 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "PM Narendra Modi's Rs 4.31 crore suit enters Guinness Book Records". 22 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Most expensive suit (clothing) sold at auction - Guinness World Records Limited".
  14. 1 2 "Message from Founders - Kiran Hospital".
  15. ↑ "Surat Diamond Bourse". www.suratdiamondbourse.in.
  16. ↑ "GHB Gem & Jewellery Park | Home". www.gujarathirabourse.org.
  17. 1 2 "Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan".
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