Cipla head donates Rs.8 crore to promote chemistry in India

Pharma major Cipla chairman Yusuf Hamied Monday donated Rs.8 crore to support a chemistry education programme in Indian schools by the Britain-based Royal Society of Chemistry.

"I am pleased to work in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to support the programme, which will make a difference to the education of students studying chemistry in schools across the country," Hamied told reporters at an event here.

The Royal Society of Chemistry will manage the programme in partnership with Britain's Slaters Institute and leading Indian academic institutes to enhance skills and knowledge of chemistry teachers and inspire school students to study chemistry at the university level.

The fund will equip 8,000 teachers with skills to deliver chemistry lessons, pass their knowledge to colleagues and provide 1,600 brightest students with places at chemistry camps to motivate them to study the subject at university over the next five years.

"We are grateful to Hamied for his generous donation to enable us bring together leading organisations from Britain and India to deliver this programme and make a real impact," Royal Society of Chemistry chief executive Robert Parker said on the occasion.

The Royal Society of Chemistry has a large number of Indian members working hard to support education across the country and advancing excellence in chemical sciences.

"To inspire the next generation of Indian scientists, we must equip our teachers with the specialist knowledge and practical skills to show their students that chemistry is a fascinating and stimulating subject with many applications in modern life," said Hamied, a scientist-cum-philanthropist who pioneered the model of producing affordable medicines for patients in developing countries.

Hailing Hamied for his philanthropic gesture, Royal Society of Chemistry's former president Simon Cambell said he had demonstrated his ambition to make a positive impact on quality of life with investment to train skilled chemists, who will be vital for the country's growth and wellbeing.

With 49,000 members and a worldwide knowledge business, the British professional body for chemical scientists is a not-for-profit organisation with 170 years of history and an international vision for the future.