Present on the inaugural ceremony were Mr. M.G George Muthoot (Chairman, Muthoot Group), Dr. Sara George Muthoot (Principal, St. George’s School), Mr. Alexander George Muthoot (Director, Muthoot Group), Mrs. Mihika Mathew Alexander (Vice President-Operations, St. George’s School), cricket coach Udey Gupte, Ms. Ritu Sidana (Administrator – Sports Academy), Muthoot officials, St. George’s School teachers and students and other dignitaries.
Paul George Memorial Tournament (PGMT), an under-16 T20 cricket tournament, aims to promote cricket at grass-root level in the country. The tournament will see the participation of 256 students from 16 government-aided schools of Delhi. The two-week tournament will be held under the aegis of well-known cricket coach Udey Gupte and will culminate on October 27, 2013 with its finale at St. George’s School in Alaknanda, New Delhi.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Alexander George Muthoot, Director, Muthoot Group said, “One of the most effective measures to ensure a better future for our country is by empowering the next generation through better education. Paul George Memorial Tournament - the flagship CSR initiative of ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’ programme was constituted in the memory of my brother Paul M George. Paul was an ardent sportsman and wanted to promote cricket at grass root level in the country. Taking his dream forward, our aim, through this sports platform, is to harness the capabilities of marginalized students in the field of sports and explore their talent. Thereby, providing them an opportunity to showcase as well as further refine their cricketing skills through training under renowned coaches at the St. George’s Sports Academy. We also encourage further education by awarding educational scholarships to the best players.”
PGMT’s winner & runner-up teams will be awarded cash prizes worth Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 respectively. The best player from each participating team will be awarded an educational scholarship of Rs. 10,000 and free coaching at St. George’s Sports Academy for a year.
A large gathering of spectators witnessed the opening ceremony and the inaugural match that was played between Hrcourt Butler Senior Secondary School, Mandir Marg and Ramjas Sr. Sec. School, No. 2. Other teams participating in the tournament are Shafiq Memorial Sr. Sec School (Bara Hindu Rao), Navyug Sarojni Nagar, Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Link Road, Karol Bagh), Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Mehrauli), Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Tughlakabad Village), Navyug Mandir Marg, Qaumi senior secondary school (Idgah), Gov. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Tughlakabad-2), DAV Pusa Road, Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Bhajanpura), SVBP Govt. Sarvodya Vidyalaya Tugklabad Extn., Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School (Ambedkar Nagar), Anglo Arabic Sr. Sec. School (Ajmeri Gate) and Sarvodya Bal Vidyalaya (Shadi Khampur).
Started in 2012, PGMT was constituted in the memory of Late Paul M George, Executive Director, Muthoot Group who was an avid sportsman with a zeal to encourage sporting talent amongst Indian youth, especially marginalised children. The tournament has been designed as a sports platform for the government-aided school students to showcase their passion and develop their talents on the Cricket field.
About the Muthoot Group
The Muthoot Group’s business origins can be traced back to 1887 when it started as a small trading business enterprise in Kozhencherry, a remote village in the state of Kerala. The company, under the leadership of its key management - Shri M.G. George Muthoot (Chairman), Shri George Alexander Muthoot (Managing Director), Shri George Thomas Muthoot (Jt. Managing Director) and George Jacob Muthoot (Jt. Managing Director) has broadened its scale and widened its geographic scope of retail operations. Today, The Muthoot Group is a diversified business conglomerate that has been serving the nation for over 126 years. The formidable business empire comprises of 16 divisions including Financial Services, Healthcare, Travel Services, Plantations & Estates, Power Generation, Education, Media, Housing & Infrastructure, Leisure & Hospitality, Precious Metals, Information Technology, Vehicle & Asset Finance, Securities, Foreign Exchange, Money Transfer and Wealth Management. The Group has spread its wings internationally with Muthoot Global too. Headquartered in Kochi and having its Corporate Office in New Delhi, the company has a dominant presence in over 21 states & 4 Union Territories of India. It also has its presence in USA, UK and UAE too.
‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’
The Muthoot Group reinforces its social commitment through a number of CSR initiatives in domains like education, healthcare, socio-economic development of the poor and underprivileged among others. It has a clear social purpose – to make significant contributions towards an equitable and sustainable society.
Aligned to its core values, The Muthoot Group launched a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by introducing ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’ programme. The launch of this flagship initiative is aimed at achieving sustainable and continuous impact of its CSR activities, under the umbrella theme of ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’. The campaign title is derived from The Muthoot Group’s logo. It’s a reflection of the group’s efforts in empowering the lesser privileged section of the society since its inception. The initiative is aimed towards education, healthcare, environment and social issues.
