In a major development, UK's veteran industrialist and social worker Lord Swraj Paul passed away on Thursday evening in London at the age of 94.
The founder of the UK-based Caparo Group was unwell. He was recently admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated. His family members said that he died in the hospital.
PM Modi on Friday took to his X handle and wrote, "Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Swaraj Paul Ji. His contributions to industry, philanthropy and public service in the UK, and his unwavering support for closer ties with India will always be remembered. I fondly recall our many interactions. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti."
Lord Paul was a member of the House of Lords of the UK and a leading NRI industrialist. He was the founder of the UK-based Caparo Group of industries.
He was born in Punjab’s Jalandhar on February 18, 1931, and relocated to the UK in the 1960s for the treatment of his daughter Ambika, who was suffering from cancer.
After her death at the age of four, Lord Paul set up the Ambika Paul Foundation, a charitable trust in her memory to promote the well-being of children and youth. He lost his son Angad in 2015 and his wife Aruna in 2022, but he continued his philanthropic works in their memory.
Lord Paul was made a life peer in the House of Lords in 1996 and served actively, contributing to committees on trade, education and entrepreneurship.
For the unversed, Lord Swraj Paul was the brother of the late Dr Stya Paul, the Founder-Chairman of Apeejay Education (Apeejay schools, colleges and Apeejay Stya University), establishing a direct family connection to the Apeejay education network.
Paul played a key role in saving the London Zoo when it faced closure, supporting its children's section and other initiatives. During the annual commemoration, which he hosted at the Ambika Paul Children’s Zoo in London last month, he said, “The London Zoo is where she was always the happiest”.
With sheer hard work and the right acumen, Lord Paul rose to become one of Britain's richest Asians and was a prominent figure in business, politics and philanthropy.
Lord Swraj Paul consistently featured on The Sunday Times Rich List, once ranked as the 38th wealthiest person in the UK. As per Free Press Journal, Lord Swraj Paul's net worth was estimated in the hundreds of millions of pounds. He and his family owned a dozen luxury flats on London’s Portland Place, each reportedly valued at around £1 million.