The Hindu : Business : HCL inaugurates first technology hub in Noida

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Friday, Nov 02, 2007
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HCL inaugurates first technology hub in Noida

Staff Reporter

Youngsters should take risks and turn into entrepreneurs: Chidambaram

To create jobs for over 10,000 people
More such hubs in Bangalore, Chennai planned

— PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

ROLE MODEL: Former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam with HCL Chairman Shiv Nadar (left) and Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram (right) during the inauguration of HCL’s first technology hub in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

NOIDA: The Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday emphasised the need to develop the country as a knowledge society if it is to emerge as a global leader in the field of technology.

Speaking before the inauguration of the HCL Technology Hub here, Mr. Chidambaram said, “The 21st century will belong to those countries and people who build a knowledge society where in the long-run knowledge will be created, disseminated and acquired. I think doing this at the institutions where people live and work is the surest way to build such a society.”

“India has the capability to build such institutions in the progressive States as well as the poorest States and small towns and cities. All that is required is determination and ability to take risks. In the coming years India too will become a knowledge power and be a front-ranking nation in the world,” he added.

Congratulating HCL founder Shiv Nadar for having shown the way in the right direction, Mr. Chidambaram said, “It is not everyday that an Indian computer company is able to stand alongside two of the greatest computer companies of the world. The fact that HCL has survived in this world of intense global competition and has grown from strength to strength in 30 years is a tribute to the determination and spirit of adventure of its founders.”

According to the Finance Minister, the opening of this hub and the resultant creation of over 10,000 jobs and benefits to families is the way forward to take India on the growth path. “The way for India’s growth is not through sops and subsidies and providing crutches, but by encouraging youngsters to take risks and turn into entrepreneurs in order to lay a solid foundation for the future,” he added.

Also present at the inauguration were former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath.

Elaborating on the changing face of technology and its implications for the future, Mr. Kamal Nath said, “As we move into the 21st Century, the lifespan of technology is getting shorter. This dynamic technology is changing the global economic architecture and the way business is taking place. In such a scenario we have to move towards not just being a knowledge society but a knowledge economy.”

Appreciating HCL’s outreach programmes to bring together youngsters from cities as well as rural districts to its institutions, Mr. Kamal Nath said, “We should not see this information technology industry as being urban centric as is believed by many. The fact that HCL is moving to smaller cities has set the model for the rest of the industry. This is a rightful tribute to Indian entrepreneurship and India’s intellectual ability.” According to HCL founder Shiv Nadar, the company is planning to open more such technology hubs in Bangalore and Chennai followed by cities such as Nagpur, Madurai and Lucknow in the coming years.

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