Navratna status testimony to HAL's growth: MD

Bangalore, June 22 (UNI) Conferring of Navratna status on the state-owned aviation major Hindusthan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was a testimony to its growing capabilities, Managing Director, (Bangalore Complex) A K Saxena, said today.

In his acceptance speech after receiving the award from the Union Finanace Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, Mr Saxena said the special status puts greater responsibility on HAL to perform even better, HAL said in a release.

''Navratna has been a dream for HAL for a long time and today we are ready to raise our bar to yet another level of competence and perfection,'' he added.

HAL Director for Personnel and Administration, Sanjeev Sahi, said that it was ready to take up the challenges in aerospace.

''The simple mantra is to empower people and celebrate the potential of every employee in HAL. In the days ahead, we will launch many more people-friendly HR initiatives,'' Mr Sahi said.

Senior HAL Directors and representatives of various unions attended the event. Apart from HAL, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) too received the Navratna status.

UNI