Sat Pal Khattar
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Sat Pal Khattar is an Indian born Singaporean based lawyer, businessman and community leader, known for his services to the Indian community in Singapore. The
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
honored Khattar in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
, reported to be the first Singaporean to receive the Padma award.


Biography

Sat Pal Khattar was born on 22 November 1942, in a middle class
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...
family at
Bhera Bhera (; ) is a city and a tehsil of Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is known for wood-carved items, textiles (such as quilts and khussas), and certain desserts (such as pheonian and pateesa). The city is made up ...
, in the present day
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, then the
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
. His father had been running a small sports goods business in Singapore and the young Khattar, who lost his mother in childhood, had a difficult childhood due to the pre-independence struggles and partition pangs. It is reported that Khattar and his sister had to spend days at refugee camps before they could reach Delhi before the
Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. On this day the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into effect, transferri ...
. Soon, he was flown to Singapore to reunite with his family. Sat Pal Khattar's schooling was at the
Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both b ...
,
Bras Basah Road Bras Basah Road () is a one-way road in Singapore in the planning areas of Museum and Downtown Core. The road starts at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road, at the ERP gantry towards the Central Business District, and ends at the junc ...
, and, as a private candidate, completed A-Level Examinations. Assisting his father in the business and, later, running it on his father's death when he was a second year student, he secured an Honours degree in law from the
University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University. The university offers degree program ...
, in 1966 and started his career as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel at the Attorney General's office. This was followed by a shift in job to the Inland Revenue Office as a Legal Officer and, by the time he moved out of IRO, he was a Grade F Senior Legal Officer. During this period, he continued his studies at Singapore University and obtained a master's degree in 1970. Sat Pal Khattar is married to Reeta and the couple has a daughter and two sons. The eldest, Shareen, is a businessperson, the elder son, Navin a practicing lawyer in UK and the youngest, Arvind, assists his father in business at Khattar Holdings.


Business career

After resigning from Inland Revenue service in 1974, Khattar started a small law firm, Sat Pal Khattar Company. After the initial years, Khattar invited property lawyer, David Wong and expanded the partnership to form Khattar Wong LLP, which, over the years, has grown to become one of the largest law firms in Singapore, employing over 150 lawyers. It is the sole representative of Taxand, the worldwide law consultants and is accredited by the ''International Tax Review''. Sat Pal Khattar retired from law practice in 2000 and established ''Khattar Holding'', a private investment firm. Since then, he is reported to be active in business investments with interests in India being an investor in the Radisson Hotel in Delhi, Vietnam, Hong Kong, UK and Eastern Europe, in companies such as Gateway Distriparks Ltd, Punjab's Pagro Foods Ltd and India Infoline Ltd. As the chairman of Khattar Holdings, he has made several investments in many businesses. He is a former chairman of Network India and the chairman of First Capital Corporation Ltd and sits on the board of Haw Par Corporation. He is a former chairman of Guocoland Limited, a post he relinquished in 2012.


Social career

Sat Pal Khattar has served on the President's panel for minority rights for more than two decades. He served as the co-chairman of the Singapore India Partnership Foundation and is reported to have participated in the deliberations that led towards the free trade agreement signed between the two countries in 2003. Khattar has served many civic bodies in Singapore in various capacities. He was the chairman of Singapore Business Federation, the board of governors of Raffles Institution and the Professional Indemnity Insurance Sub-Committee of the Law Society. He was also the director of
Singapore Labour Foundation The Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) was established on 12 December 1977 and is a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower (Singapore), Ministry of Manpower. Its aims are to improve the welfare ...
, the president of the Hindu Advisory Board and has served as a member of the Public Service Commission and the Securities Industry Council. Khattar is a life trustee of the
Singapore Indian Development Association The Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) is a charity for the Indian Singaporeans, Singaporean Indian community. Set up to focus on educational and socio-economic matters, its mission is to “build a well-educated, resilient and con ...
(SINDA), a non governmental organization, working for the development of the financially poor members of the Indian community. He is also the vice president of the Singapore Indian Education Trust and a board member of the Institute of South Asian Studies. He is also involved with the International Management Action Award (IMAA) Council as its chairman and the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in the role of an advisor.


Awards and recognitions

Sat Pal Khattar is a recipient of the ''May Day Award'' on a number of occasions. In 1979, he received the '' NTUC Distinguished Service Award'', followed by the ''Meritorious Service Award'' in 1987, the ''Distinguished Service Award'' in 1994, and the ''Distinguished Service (Star) Award'' in 2001 from the
National Trades Union Congress The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress (SNTUC) internationally, is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore. NTUC leads the labour movement of Singapore, comprising 59 affilia ...
. During his tenure with Inland Revenue Department, he received the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1972. He has also received the ''Overseas Indian Award'' from Priyadarshini Academy. The Government of India, in 2011, honored Khattar with the civilian award of
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
, making him the first resident from Singapore to be honored by the Indian Government.


See also

*
Singapore Indian Development Association The Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) is a charity for the Indian Singaporeans, Singaporean Indian community. Set up to focus on educational and socio-economic matters, its mission is to “build a well-educated, resilient and con ...
*
India–Singapore relations Bilateral relations between the Republic of India and the Republic of Singapore have traditionally been strong and friendly, with the two nations enjoying extensive cultural and commercial relations. India and Singapore have signed the Comprehens ...
*
Indians in Singapore Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian people, Indian or of general South Asian diaspora, South Asian ancestor, ancestry. They constitute approximately 9.0% of the country's residents, making them the third largest ancestry and ethnic ...


References


Further reading

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khattar, Sat Pal 1942 births Singaporean Hindus Indian emigrants to Singapore Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in trade and industry Singaporean people of Punjabi descent Naturalised citizens of Singapore Singaporean people of Indian descent People from Punjab, India Raffles Institution alumni University of Singapore alumni Singaporean trade unionists Singapore Business Federation