New Delhi, March 25: The graduating management students of Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad and Nagpur got a rare opportunity to rub shoulders with steel tycoon Lakshmi Nivas Mittal, President and CEO, Arcelor Mittal, who attended their convocation at the Ghaziabad campus on Saturday.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath, also present at the event, introduced Mittal as “the biggest mover and shaker of global commerce who has tak-en brand India to the world”.

Mittal, who couldn’t finish his MBA due to work pressure, said it was his biggest regret. Addressing students he said, “You are lucky to be living in an India free to dream. The erstwhile licence Raj forced me to move my business to Indonesia.” “Today NRIs are coming back to India because they realise they have equal or better opportunities in this country. My Company is also looking for investment opportunities in India and will soon open a steel plant in Orissa or Jharkhand and also a refinery,” he added.

He said he took great pride in the fact that today no corporate discussion was complete without a mention of India. “Indian companies will be making an investment of over 100 billion dollars in the global economy through mergers and acquisitions. This makes me especially happy. When I went to Indonesia for setting up my steel company, people could not believe an Indian could dream global,” he said.

Mittal said education is what the country requires to make the transition to the next stage of economic development. On the issue of SEZs, Mittal said, “These zones are in every country and they can prove to be a great asset for the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). There is a need to educate people about SEZs, so that when MNCs come to India, instead of protesting they welcome them.”