Happenings / Events

Mamata Banerjee unveils Priyamvada Birla Campus Foundation Stone

The afternoon of 18 February 2015 will remain special in the annals of the M P Birla Group when Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, unveiled the foundation stone of the new South Point campus, to be named Priyamvada Birla Campus, at the identified site (close to EM Bypass) in the presence of at least two State Cabinet Ministers, an MP and the Mayor of Kolkata. A large number of guardians, students and teachers witnessed the historical moment. She was all praise for South Point’s track record and hoped that the institution would grow from strength to strength in its new home. The Chief Minister hoped that the South Point management would take the initiative to set up the South Point University in future.

She appreciated the CSR approach of the M P Birla Group and handed over the Priyamvada Birla Scholarship to the second batch of 26 recipients.

Shri Harsh V Lodha, Chairman, M P Birla Group, announced that South Point would provide free education to 25 students from various villages of West Bengal, as desired by the Chief Minister. On behalf of the Group, a cheque for Rs 21 lakhs was handed over to Smt Banerjee for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

The integrated 6.65-acre Priyamvada Birla Campus will have 15,000 students, 530 teaching staff and more than 250 administrative staff. There will be more than 250 classrooms and over 30 different laboratories in the half-a-million sq. ft. built-up area, as Shri Lodha summed up in his welcome address. Other facilities at the new Campus will include teacher-parent interaction rooms, auditoria, seminar halls and a state-of-the-art sports infrastructure.

The Chairman added that the Group’s founder, Syt. M.P. Birla, and Smt Priyamvada Birla were leaders in the field of philanthropy. They had allocated a substantial part of their wealth to the service of humanity several decades ago-- much before CSR became a fashionable term in the business world. They set up several institutions all of which have grown and continue to serve society even today. This facet of the Group was further expanded upon by Shri Rajendra Lodha who led the Group after Smt. Birla.

Students of South Point presented a collage of dance and songs portraying the multifaceted cultural tradition and natural beauty of the State of West Bengal.