Research must for better economic growth: Prince Andrew
Friday, 03 November 2006, 20:30 IST
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Chennai: Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, on Friday warned against quick fix ambitions in trade, saying that without basic knowledge, research and a code of standard, no future growth is possible. Andrew, who is the special representative of the UK International Trade and Investment, said "an academic session, though it may sound boring, is required to build good businesses whether it is in the automotive sector or in construction". Speaking at "Eurocodes", a technical seminar on concrete structures and earthquakes here, he said adoption of British Standard Institute (BSI) codes by Indian companies would help them not only increase business relations with Britain but also with other European nations "as these standards are a global benchmark". The seminar was sponsored jointly by BSI and Indian Concrete Institute. The Chennai phase of Andrew's week-long trip to India began Thursday evening with the inauguration of the new building of the British Deputy High Commission in southern India. He also opened a conference on advanced vehicle engineering and emissions. The prince interacted with employees of Scope International - the BPO arm of the Standard Chartered group. "Some people think outsourcing in whatever form is a bad idea. This is not true of the UK government," he said adding: "The UK government encourages outsourcing and leaves it to the companies to decide where to go". His visit ends with distribution of Cambridge examination certificates to schoolchildren. Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, last Friday visited two schools at Kandharvakottai, about 70 km from Tiruchirapally. Andrew opened a computer centre and library at the Lady Lynn Joyful Home, a school funded by Britain-based Eranda Foundation and NGO Integrated Rural Development Centre, catering to poor students. Accompanied by his wife and two daughters, Andrew also visited a panchayat middle school at Valavampatti near Kandharvakottai and planted a tree there. He distributed 20 cattle to the villagers.
Source: IANS
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