President spends evening with children at Birla Orphan Village

Hanoi, Nov 26 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today spent her evening with the under-priviledged children at the Birla Orphan Village built by late industrialist G D Birla as a gift to this country in 1987.

The President advised the children to spend some time learning about India so that when they grew up, they could contribute to the friendship between India and Vietnam.

Wishing continued amity between children of India and Vietnam, the President asked them to work hard, acquire knowledge, learn skills and become good citizens of Vietnam. She later gave away gifts -- articles of daily use -- to the children.

Re-emphasising the existing cordial relations between the two countries, she hoped that both the countries would continue to march together, sharing higher growth, cooperating in education and social sectors as well as increasing trade and investment.

She said ''your Uncle Ho'' (founder President Hu Chi Minh) and our ''Chacha Nehru'' (Jawahar Lal Nehru) believed in the potential and ability of children as well as the importance of friendship.

'Chacha' is the Indian world for Uncle.

The orphanage was gifted by noted industrialist late G D Birla to the Hanoi People's Committee in 1987. Mr Birla had visited the city in 1983 and announced to gift such a village to the Hanoi People's Committee.

The construction of the orphanage village had actually begun in 1985 and completed in 1987. It was then handed over to the Hanoi People's Committee as part of the gift from G D Birla and his company Cimco-Birla Industrial Cooperation.

Established on November 20, 1987 through a decision of the Hanoi People's Committee, the Birla Village is under the direct administration of the Hanoi Department for Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The village had been managed by the Hanoi People's Committee from its own resources, till 1996. It is now being funded by the State Budget.

The orphanage, which had got the first batch of 50 orphans between the age group of 2 and 12 years, is now a home of 110 orphans.

UNI KAS SKB RN2013