Page 51 - Gujar Mal Modi

took a number of measures for the welfare of the people of the area. In 1942

he constructed a Women’s Hospital at Mahendra Garh in the memory of his
grand-mother, Mrs. Jai Devi, and handed it over to the Government. The hospital

fulfiled the long-standing need for a women’s hospital in the area.

Mr. Modi also felt that there should be a high school at Mahendra Garh. There
was only one middle school for the villages surrounding this town. In 1943, Mr.

Modi established a higher secondary school under the name of Yadavendra Mul-
tanimal Modi Higher Secondary School.

The Government of India was so far importing biscuits from abroad. In 1943 Mr.
Modi was encouraged to set up a biscuit manufacturing factory. Construction of

the factory was promptly taken up, the machinery was imported and the facto-
ry started manufacturing a variety of biscuits two years later. Simultaneously, a

confectionary plant was also set up.

Rai Bahadur Multanimal Modi Charitable Trust was formed in the same year in
order to carry on various public welfare activities. The rules of the Trust were ap-

proved at its first meeting held at Patiala under the Chairmanship of his father. A
cash grant of Rs. 10,00,000 and a Guest House at the pilgrim centre of Hardwar

comprised the first donation made by Mr. Multanimal Modi to the Trust.

Modi Oil Mills was set up in 1944 to meet the needs of the vanaspati unit for

pure cottonseed oil and groundnut oil. As a token of his love and affection for
the Jawans, Mr. Modi constructed an imposing Sainik Bhawan at Meerut and

dedicated it to the Jawans.

Acquisition of land for constructing living accommodation for the ever-increas-
ing labour force employed at Modinagar presented a problem. Mr. Modi was able

to persuade the Government to hand over to him a military camping ground op-
posite the sugar mill. A scheme for construction of living quarters for the workers

was taken up. In 1944, when the oil mill was established, another dispensary was
set up for the benefit of the workers there.

By this time, Modi High School had started attracting an increasing number of
students from the surrounding villages. The construction of boys’ hostel for these

students was, therefore, taken up in 1944 and completed in 1945. Construction

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