The award is to recognize his outstanding leadership in globalizing India and transforming Tata Group as a company to reckon with.
Presenting the award to Mr. Tata, Prof Damodar Acharya, Director, IIT Kharagpur said, "Mr. Ratan N. Tata is a towering figure in the Indian engineering industry. Throughout his career in various positions in the Tata Group of Companies, he has set an unparalleled standard of excellence. With very few ever to emulate his scale of achievements, he symbolizes India's entry into the global industrial map. Under his leadership, Tata Group has also emerged as one of the most respectable companies in the world, in terms of its contribution to corporate social responsibilities and philanthropy. As an individual, Mr. Tata has long commitment to social uplift of the disadvantaged people".
The citation presented to Mr. Tata said, "Mr. Ratan N. Tata is a towering figure in the Indian engineering industry. Throughout his career in various positions in the Tata Group of Companies, he has set an unparalleled standard of excellence. With very few ever to emulate his scale of achievements, he symbolizes India's entry into the global industrial map. Under his leadership, Tata Group has also emerged as one of the most respectable companies in the world, in terms of its contribution to corporate social responsibilities and philanthropy. As an individual, Mr. Tata has long commitment to social uplift of the disadvantaged people."
Every year, the Institute honours Industrialists, Entrepreneurs, Scientist and Public figures. Some of the past recipients of this coveted award include Mother Teresa, Satyajit Roy, Mani Lal Bhowmik, Dr Suhas Patil, Mr. R. P. Goenka, Professor Raj Reddy, Dr. Parveen Chaudhari, Professor C. N. R. Rao, Professor G. S. Sanyal, Dr Pallab Chatterjee to name a few.
Mr. Ratan N. Tata has been the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, since 1991. He is also the Chairman of the major Tata companies including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels, Tata Teleservices and Tata Auto Comp. During his tenure, the Group's revenues have grown over eight-fold to annualized Group revenues of over USD 50 bn.
The Government of India has announced that Mr. Tata will be honoured with its second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, later this year. Earlier, in 2000, he had been awarded the Padma Bushan. He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in Business Administration by the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in Technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, an honorary doctorate in Science by the University of Warwick, and an honorary fellowship by the London School of Economics.
