The Hindu : National : Concentrate on education: Swraj Paul

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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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Concentrate on education: Swraj Paul

— Photo: PTI

‘UNIQUE GIFT’: Caparo group Chairman Lord Swraj Paul inaugurates the PTU-Caparo School of Excellence for Manufacturing and Material Technology in Jalandhar on Saturday.

Jalandhar: Chairman of the Caparo group of companies, Lord Swraj Paul, said on Saturday that if India wanted to become a developed country it should concentrate on education. Without the desired development in this field, no country could attain the standards of a developed country.

“I am of the opinion that politics and business should be kept away from the field of education,” he told reporters.

He formally inaugurated the Punjab Technical University-Caparo School of Excellence for Manufacturing and Material Technology here. He said the school was a unique gift to the city. The school was thrown open to the students on August 14.

The school is his first initiative towards fostering entrepreneurship in India by catalysing, accelerating and supporting the growth of manufacturing and materials technology.

In the U.K, 50 per cent of the total population acquire higher education, which was the largest percentage in this category, he said. However, in India’s case the situation was bad as not more than seven per cent population got higher education and 30 per cent of children do not even get primary education.

The former President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is to be conferred with a honorary degree by Wolverhampton University in the U.K. next month, he said.

Lord Paul, who is also the Chancellor of the University, said Mr. Kalam would visit London on October 22 for receiving the honour. He said Mr. Kalam had also agreed to deliver lectures at the Caparo School here.

The Caparo group, which has acquired 35 companies in the U.K and India last year, is in talks for more takeovers and hopes to finalise them “very soon,” Lord Paul said.

The acquisition plans are part of Caparo’s consolidation operations and he was confident the group would lead the metal sector by 2009.

“It is a continuous process to further consolidate our operations world-wide and more acquisitions can take place in future.”

Regarding his business plans in India, Lord Paul revealed that the group was all set to establish a manufacturing base in the upcoming 125-acre Caparo industrial complex at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs. 750 crore.

The complex would be inaugurated by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on October 4, he said. — PTI

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