HINDUJAS TO EXPAND HOSPITAL BUSINESS
Indo-Asian News Service , Chennai, Oct 29 (IANS)

The Hinduja group intends to grow its hospital business manifold. The group has signed an agreement with Limitless LLC, part of the Dubai World group, to promote hospitals within and outside India, said officials here Monday. In India, the group is looking at cities that include Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore for this. The Hindujas intend to have around 5,000 hospital beds under its fold. Presently, the group runs the 351-bed Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.

The group has also decided to invest in power, realty, telecom, and life and non-life insurance sectors. In real estate, the Hindujas are keen on development of IT and residential properties. The group's real estate arm, Aasia Property Development Ltd, is developing two properties each in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

In the power sector, the group is keen to set up 1,200 MW thermal power plant in Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh at an outlay of over Rs.50 billion. Classified as a merchant power company, Hinduja National Thermal Corp would sell 75 percent of the generation to outsiders and 25 percent to Andhra Pradesh's state electricity board.

ABOUT THE HINDUJA GROUP

The saga of the Hinduja Group started in Sind, the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilization. Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, a young entrepreneur from the fabled town of Shikarpur, realized early in life that business was all about spotting opportunities, and seizing them wherever they surfaced. He travelled to Mumbai in 1914, and quickly learnt the ropes of business. The business journey, which began in Sind, entered the international arena with an office in Iran (the first outside India) in 1919.

Merchant Banking and Trade were the twin pillars of the business and the Group remained headquartered in Iran, until 1979 when it moved to Europe. The Group has expanded and diversified its businesse, under the present leadership of Chairman, Srichand and his brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok.

Today, the Hinduja Group has become one of the largest diversified groups in the world spanning all the continents in sectors such as Banking & Finance, Transport, Energy (Oil & Power) as well as the new economy of Technology, Media and Telecom. The Group employs over 30,000 people and has offices in many key cities of the world and all the major cities in India.