Page 93 - Gujar Mal Modi

rehabilitative care backed by education and research. It will not only endeavour

to prevent eye disease and blindness through appropriate methods of publicity
media, conduct surveys in schools and colleges, industrial workers, rural popu-

lation and continuously evaluate the community needs of the changing society
but will also have a mobile unit fully equipped with instruments and medicines

for giving immediate relief to patients at their door-steps. It will help to collect
statistics on the incidence of eye diseases in rural and industrial areas to help

the government to plan various ophthalmic health programmes. Mr. Gujarmal
Modi realised the dire need of such a centre in the country. He was determined

to make the centre a model institution to control blind ness. He had also made
up his mind to create employment opportunities for the blind.

Mr. Modi promoted the welfare of women by establishing a Samaj Kalyan Vibhag.

The Samaj Kalyan Parishad organises tailoring and embroidary classes for wom-
en. There is also an adult education centre under its charge. It ensures employ-

ment for widows and has also arranged some widow-marriages. Now this organ-
isation runs under the patronage of his wife Mrs. Dayawati Modi, who like her

husband takes keen interest in all philanthropic activities.

Mr. Modi also made substantial contribution in rehabilitating displaced persons

when the partition or India took place. He constructed Govindpuri Colony con-
sisting of 500 houses and 25 small scale industries. All those persons who were

rehabilitated were provided employment either in Modi enterprises or in small
scale industries set up in this colony.

As a philanthropist, he also contributed greatly to the cause of education. He

established a chain of schools and colleges at his birth place, Mahender Garb,
at Patiala and at Modinagar He supported higher education by giving grants

to established institutions like Banaras Hindu University, colleges in Meerut and
other places. There is an interesting story behind the establishment of the M . M

. Modi Degree College at Modinagar, which is one of the prestigious education-
al institutions devoted to higher education in Uttar Pradesh. In 1957, Mr. Modi

wanted a nephew to be admitted to the B.Sc. class in Meerut College, of which
he was a generous patron. At this, the Principal is said to have remarked that if

Mr. Gujarmal was so keen on college education, why didn’t he establish a college
in Modinagar? Mr. Modi did not take the remark as an affront. On the other hand,

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