# Laljibhai Patel

Laljibhai Patel (born 28 November 1955) is an Indian diamantaire and the chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds (DDPL). He has been associated with the diamond industry for more than four decades.
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. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Retail Jewelers India for his contributions to the jewelry industry and community development in Surat and Gujarat.

## Career

After relocating to Surat City 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.

## 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.

## 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.

### Save the Girl Child Mega Campaign

Under Patel's presidency, the Samast Patidar Samaj 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.
The distribution of informative booklets and a large gathering in Surat in 2006, where 1.2 million people pledged to oppose female foeticide, were part of this initiative, recognized by the Limca Book of Records. The campaign's impact on Gujarat's gender ratio is claimed to have been significant.

### River Linking & Rainwater Conservation

Patel initiated a large-scale water conservation project in Ugamedi, creating three large artificial ponds. Initially planned to be filled by the Sonal river, water was diverted from the Keri river to supplement the supply.
This project is described as the first instance of river interlinking in India, inspired by Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision.

### Clean Ganga Mission

Patel purchased Narendra Modi's suit at auction for US$693,174, with proceeds going towards the cleaning of the Ganga river. This suit is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

### Schools in Tribal Area

Patel has built 10 schools in the Dang and Narmada districts, each with over 500 tribal students.

### Promoting Gurukul Education

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

### Kanya Gurukul (Girl's Gurukul)

Patel established a girls' Gurukul in Surat, designed to accommodate 3,000 girls.

### Helping Hand for Specially Abled

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

### Monetary Donation to Hospitals

Patel has donated to various hospitals.

## Positions in various organizations

* Founder & President of Samast Patidar Samaj Trust - Surat
* President of Traffic Education Trust - First Safe City CCTV Project - Surat
* President of Dharmanandan Charitable Trust – Surat
* President of Shantuben T. Patel Charitable Trust
* President of RV Gosaliya Vidhya Mandir – Ugamedi
* President of Katargam Police Welfare Trust – Surat
* Vice-President of Kiran Hospital - Surat
* Chairman of Construction Planning Committee - Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB)
* Treasurer at Gujarat Hira Bourse
* Founder Trustee at Sardar Dham – Ahmedabad
* Trustee at Saurashtra Jaldhara Trust
* Chairman at Shree Swaminarayan Kanya Gurukul, Surat
* Trustee at Shree Swaminaran Gurukul, Rajkot – 32 School Branches in Gujarat
* Trustee at Shree Swaminaran Gurukul, Hyderabad – 18 School Branches
* Trustee at Samast Patidar Arogya Trust - Surat
* Trustee at Prayosha Pratisthan School - Ahva, Saputara
* Trustee at Sardar Dham Education Trust – Bhavnagar
* Trustee at Bhavnagar District Leuva Patel Education Trust – Surat
* Trustee at Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj - Puna Gam, Surat
* Trustee at Patel Social Trust – Mumbai
* Trustee at Saurashtra Patel Kelavni Mandal - Ahmedabad
* Trustee at Shastri Shri Dharmajivandasji Swami Rajkot Gurukul Hospital
* Trustee at Shree Swaminarayan Multi-specialty Hospital - Vadtal
* Trustee at Lions Cancer Detection Centre - Civil Hospital - Surat