Date:31/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083155181000.htm

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A great loss to the country: Manmohan Singh

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders and industry chambers on Saturday condoled the death of noted industrialist and veteran parliamentarian K.K. Birla.

K.K. Birla (90) died at his residence in Kolkata on Saturday morning after brief illness. He was chairman of the Hindustan Times and also of several other Birla Group of industries. He was also a Member of the Rajya Sabha for 18 years.

Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari said: “K.K. Birla served the nation with distinction during his many years in public life. He made valuable contributions for the industrialisation and economic development of the country. In his death, the country has lost an eminent and multifaceted pubic personality who shall always be remembered.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said K.K. Birla was ranked among the greatest industrial leaders that India has produced. “Birla was not only a noted industrialist but a well-known public figure in the country. His efforts for promotion of technical education and Hindi literature in the country received wide acclaim. He set up the K.K. Birla Foundation for the promotion of Hindi literature.”

Dr. Singh said as a member of the Rajya Sabha for 18 consecutive years, Birla was known for his active participation in the debates. Terming his demise as a great loss to the country, he said Birla has left behind a void that would be difficult to fill.

The former Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee also expressed his condolences to the departed industrialist. “With the death of K.K. Birla a strong pillar of Indian industry has fallen. A dedicated, hard-working and sincere industrialist has left us. The religious and social institutions established by him are a living example of his social commitment,” Mr. Vajpayee said.

Confederation of India Industry president K.V. Kamath said: “K.K. Birla’s demise is a great loss to India and Indian Industry. Through his visionary leadership and hard work, Birla had established a business conglomerate spanning industries like sugar, fertilizers, chemicals, heavy engineering, textiles, shipping and media.”

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry president and MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar remembered K.K. Birla as one of India’s greatest entrepreneurs, who has left an indelible mark on Indian society and industry by upholding moral and spiritual values and creating landmark business enterprises through sheer dint of hard work and ethical practices.

Birla, who held the reins of FICCI in 1974-75, was “an outstanding visionary, a great Parliamentarian, a business leader par excellence, and the builder of modern educational and scientific institutions,” Mr. Chandrasekhar added.