India in safe hands, says Lord Swraj Paul

LONDON: Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has said that his recent visit to India has reassured him that the country is in "safe hands".

The Caparo Group chairman met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leading members of the political establishment, including human resource development minister Smriti Irani and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, during a visit to New Delhi last week.

"After my meetings with Mr Modi and some of the senior ministers I have come back reassured that India is in safe hands," Lord Paul said at a House of Lords reception to mark the re-launch of the University of Wolverhampton's School of Art last evening.

Paul is the Chancellor of the university, based in the West Midlands region of England, and had recently donated 1 million pounds to the institution to meet the costs of a renewed School of Art, among other projects.

He had also led a university delegation to India earlier this month alongside vice-chancellor Professor Geoff Layer.

Paul said, "We had a great visit to India which will strengthen the university's ties with the country. I am extremely proud to be associated with an institution that has such a rich and diverse history".

"As a businessman myself, I recognise the impact of the introduction of design into manufacturing processes and the many innovations that are seen as a result," he said.

Layer described the re-launch of the School of Art, first established in 1851, as a "new chapter in the history of the university".

"The university is situated in the industrial heartland of the UK and contributes significantly to the manufacturing ethos of the country," Layer added.