Vice President Venkaiah Naidu: Brand India leaders should possess ethical values

Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President Venkaiah K Naidu on Monday conceded that "bank scams tarnish the image" of the country. He also stressed that "leaders of Brand India" must contain "uncompromising honesty, integrity, and ethical values".

The absence of fear for the law among some people has led to the increase of scams over the years, Naidu said while addressing students at the convocation ceremony of IIM-Shillong.

"It is important to adhere to values of honesty, integrity, truthfulness and adopt the best practices. Corporate ethics should not be violated," he said, asking students to display moral standards to make India proud. The Vice President also quoted the AsianDevelopment Bank predictions about India's economic growth to say there will be opportunities galore for young people in the coming years.

He lauded the NDA government's new tax regime and said it "will propel India's future growth". "The robust FDI flows attracted by liberalized regulations and the government's steps to improve the ease of doing business will further bolster growth."

Urging the management graduates to shoulder responsibilities for transforming India into a global economic power, Naidu said, the "quality of a product, efficient service and ethical business practices" are hallmarks of a global brand. Every decision taken by the students should bear a testimony to these qualities, he said.

"We need to overcome the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, social discrimination, atrocities against the weaker sections and women to build a prosperous, inclusive new India. We need to progress faster," he asserted.

On the research front, the Vice President cited the 2018 National Institutional Ranking Framework, (NIRF) to highlight that India's overall share in world publications is extremely low.

"Of the total 83,09,449 research publications in 2016-17, only 3,36,978 are from India. In the management discipline, the share is just two percent," he said. Earlier in the day, IIM-Shillong chairman Shishir Bajoria said the Board of Governors at the institute is expected to strike a deal soon with a top B-School in the US for the benefit of its students.

The Centre has approved the institute's proposal to increase the sanctioned student strength from 390 to 680 and the built-up area from 45,500 sqm to 55,717 sqm on its new campus at the New Shillong Township, Bajoria said, thanking the Union government for its support.

Also Read: PNB Scam: CBI Moves Plea To Attach Nirav Modi's UK Bank Account, Court Approves

Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from PTI

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