Firoz Merchant: Man with a golden heart. Dubai-based businessman Firoz Merchant spends millions to help UAE's debt-laden prisoners.
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00:00I came in 1989 to Dubai to start my career under the name of Pure Gold Jewelers.
00:16With the time gradually, gradually when I got progress and the position into my business
00:22and in industry, that time I recall my past and I remember the word of my mother, which
00:30she always tell me, keep in mind, first we are human, thereafter everything.
00:37And then I started to look after the society.
00:40In 1998, there was one amnesty program happening to UAE, 350 persons I sent back home to India
00:51through the government of India.
00:53Thereafter in 2008, everybody knows the global economic crisis came, lot of the blue-collar
01:01people were suffering.
01:03Thereafter I started to do something towards the people if I can do something for them
01:10and I approached the higher authority of the UAE.
01:13I met them and I spoke to them.
01:15I gave them my consent to support and they were very kind enough to me.
01:21They said, yes, whatever you need support, we will give you.
01:24And I started to release the prisoners from the prisons in all the emirates from 2008.
01:31From 2008 till now, we released almost 4,500 prisoners from the all UAE sent back home.
01:41Initially we invested $3 million and now 2017 again, I started to release more prisoners.
01:50As we know, 2016 was a little bit tough, challenging and downturn of global economy.
01:58So many people were in trouble, which I decided to send back them home.
02:03The very important things when I started to send back home in 2017, in the last week of
02:09January, till date we released 700 prisoners we sent back home.
02:18From January last week till the February now, we are into the second week.
02:24Almost you can say in three weeks, we sent 700 prisoners sent back home from all emirates.
02:32Thereafter we plan to send another 300 by the end of this month, which is already in
02:37process.
02:38So having a target to release approximately 1,000 by the end of February.
02:47At this present, I don't think so I have to found the one charity firm, because whatever
02:53I want to do, I want to do based on my own capacity, what I want to do with my own financial
02:59strength.
03:01And I don't want to go in to ask about any financial support, only asking to the people
03:08only come forward and do something which the society need and required.