Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata, on Thursday, said he was more in favour of giving “equal opportunities” to all than for extending reservation for backward classes and scheduled castes and tribes to the private sector.

In a brief chat with reporters after formally inaugurating a two-day national summit on corporate social responsibility, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here, Mr Ratan Tata said “we want to create an India of equal opportunities and we have been cooperating with the CII in this much before the talk of reservation in private sector.”

He observed that reservation per se cannot uplift the rural poor and other disadvantaged groups. “We want to create our country as a land of equal opportunities for all. We should establish a land of equality,” he said.
 
Affirmative action

CII's affirmative action plan comprises of measures to enable SCs, STs and OBCs to increase their employability and sharpen their entrepreneurial skills.

A Group of Ministers constituted to look into the matter has submitted its recommendations, which are being discussed by the government. Referring to Prime Minister's recent suggestion to corporates to put a cap on salaries of CEOs and other top executives, Mr Tata quipped “Tatas’ salaries have never been extravagant.”

Replying to another question, he said Tata group wanted to grow in telecom business. Mr Ratan Tata said the group had to grow in the sector to provide “end-to-end solutions.”

It had made a begining in the sector with the CDMA technology. “But when third generation technology comes to the country, we will be interested in that too,” he said. Denying the group has exited from oil exploration business, he said, in a group, some companies might be big and some small, but that did not mean it had left the exploration sector.”.