Name Mecca Ahmed | ||
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Mecca Rafeeque Ahmed (Urdu: مکھ رفیق احمد) | is an Indian businessman and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu. He is a recipient of 2011 Padma Shri Award.
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Career
Ahmed's father, Haji Mecca Abdul Majid Sahib, started the Farida Prime Tannery in 1957. He named it after the youngest of his nine daughters and started it with Rs. 1.5 million from his savings and bank loans. Rafeeque Ahmed started his career in 1958 under the guidance of Haji Mecca Abdul Majid Sahib and took over full control of the business after his father’s demise in 1965. Under his guidance, the Farida Group has grown from a tannery to many shoemaking divisions. He was instrumental in diversifying the business by starting shoe-upper making factories in the late 1960s and then establishing full-shoe making factories in the 1980s. He became chairman of the group in the year 1996. He is a distinguished figure in the industry and has held various positions in the different industrial associations in the country.
Social Service
The company Farida Group has a remarkable presence in Vellore district and has created thousands of jobs for the locals. They process about 80,000 sq. feet of hide and manufacture about 23,000 pairs of shoes and 3,500 pairs of shoe-uppers per day. They employ nearly 9,000 people. They also render social service in the form of educational scholarships for deserving students, medical assistance for the poor and environment-friendly process initiatives.
Affiliations
Personal life
Born to businessman Mecca Abdul Majeed from Ambur, Rafeeque Ahmed has also named one function hall in Ambur after his mother - "Buwa".
Awards and honors
Mecca Rafeeq Ahmed is a recipient of the 2011 Padma Shri Award, India's fourth-highest civilian award.