In a scathing attack on the move to introduce reservation for other backward castes in higher education institutes funded by the central Government, Tata Sons Chairman Ratan N Tata warned that such a policy would "divide" the nation.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of Convocation 2006, at IMT Ghaziabad, he said, "Though I do not want to comment, reservation is bad... In some way, it will tend to divide the country into different groups."
Ratan Tata asserted that efforts should be made to encourage people to stay unified. He expressed displeasure over the reservations, calling it a "bad" move.
On reports of Government gearing up for introducing job reservation in private sector, he said, "I do not think this is a right way to go forward. Sadly, such policies would not help in the development of the nation."
While the upliftment of the socially backward classes was important, merit should be the only criteria and there should be no compromise on this issue, he added.
He urged the students to make their mark in various fields by upholding the principles and values, thus combining their vision with passion.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industries, Kamal Nath, who is also the president of the institute, encouraged the students to play a pivotal role and face the challenges in moulding the destiny of the nation.
He referred to the fast pace of economic growth in India led by the metaphoric shifting of trade winds which had moved the hub of economic activity from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean.
{{/usCountry}}He referred to the fast pace of economic growth in India led by the metaphoric shifting of trade winds which had moved the hub of economic activity from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean.
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