Thursday, April 20 2006 11:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been chosen for UK's Eastern Eye Community Award 2006 for promoting social and educational policies and charitable causes. Receiving the award in the presence of over 1,000 distinguished guests at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Central London last night, an unassuming Lord Paul dedicated it to his late daughter Ambika and his wife Aruna, whom he married 50 years ago.

Lord Paul, who is also Chancellor of the West Minster University and Ambassador for Overseas British Business said, "At the age of 75 you don't expect an award. As I came to this country because of my daughter's illness, can I dedicate this award to her. Secondly I would like to dedicate it to my wife. We are married for 50 years."

The citation noted that Paul came to Britain to seek medical help for his seriously ill younger daughter Ambika. Following her death in 1968, he decided to stay and work in the UK and founded Caparo, the UK-based industrial company which specializes in the manufacture and supply of steel-based engineering products for industry.

It also referred to his donation of 1 million pounds to the London Zoo to prevent it from closure and several other charitable causes through his Ambika Paul Charitable Foundation.

Others who received the awards instituted by Eastern Eye, Britain's biggest selling Asian newspaper, are Rita Sharma (Entrepreneur of the Year Award), Karl Sandhu (Young Achiever's Award), Avnish Goyal (New Comer of the Year Award), Sukhpal Singh (Acas Business Development Award) and Mike Jatania (Businessman of the Year Award).