Ranchi, July 29: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) expressed deep loss at the demise of former President of India and Bharat Ratna recipient, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. “Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was a great
motivator, a constant inspiration, and a unique mentor for India and Indian industry.
His vision for a developed and technologically superior India motivated industry’s engagement in leveraging technology for competitiveness,” said Sumit MazumderPresident, CII.
CII was privileged and honored to enjoy a long association with Dr Kalam through the years. Dr Kalam
graciously agreed to assume the office of the first Chairman of the CII National Council on Technology set
up in 1998.
Leading the Council, Dr Kalam guided CII in setting up the Technology Division to engage strongly with technology adoption in industry.
This imparted huge impetus to CII’s initiatives for inculcating technology in the DNA of Indian Industry. Dr Kalam inaugurated CIINaoroji Godrej Green Business Center (GBC) in 2004 and remained closely engaged with the CII movement for green buildings, energy efficiency and resource management.
With the association of Dr Kalam, the GBC has emerged as a pioneer and leader of the ‘green building’
initiative in India. CII was proud to engage with the late President’s vision of Providing Urban Amenities to
Rural Areas, or PURA, and undertook several initiatives in this program under his guidance.
“Emphasizing that technological achievements are the foundation for industrial strength, Dr Kalam always
encouraged and guided Indian industry’s initiatives in innovation and R&D.
He also led and inspired CII in many ways, offering new ideas and initiatives,” added Mazumder.