Lord Swraj Paul emphasised on Monday that India can become a developed country if the issues of education, health and security are dealt with.

"About 30 per cent children have no access to primary education, over 30 per cent people live below the poverty line surviving on less than $1 a day," Lord Paul said during the launch of a magazine 'NRI Achiever -- Doing India Proud' in New Delhi.

Lord Paul said, "richness and progress has no meaning until the living standard of the people is raised.

These issues are needed to be dealt with if we want India to become a developed country, as the whole world recognises the potential of the country. Expressing his concern over the treatment to meted out to women in Indian society, he said, "It is sad that women in India gets disgraceful treatment and the cases of female feoticide are on rise in the state of Punjab and Haryana."

There is an urgent need to address these problems, he added.

Speaking about Indo-UK relations, Lord Paul said that it is very strong, both on the economic as well as on the political front.

"Britain now sees India as a partner," he said. Terming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the best Prime Minister of all time, he said, "In my autobiography also I have said that he (Gordon Brown) will prove to be the best Prime Minister that the country has got."

'Indian retailers can compete with Wal-Marts': Indian retailers are capable of working in a competitive environment and global retail giants coming to the country will only spur them to do better, Paul said.

"Indians are capable of working very well in a competitive market. There is Wal-Mart in the US, there is Wal-Mart in the UK. There is Tesco too in these countries. Indians have set up retail shops there and have beaten them," Lord Paul said.

Stressing that the government should concentrate on health, law and education and leave the business alone to fend for itself, Lord Paul welcomed competition for the Indian business community.

"We can compete with the best. The reason why IT industry has progressed so well is because they did not need the government nor did they know how to control them. So, I have no problem with Wal-Marts or Tesco or anybody. Let's believe in ourselves."

Quelling apprehensions about the possible danger to traditional, small time domestic retailers due to the entry of MNCs, Lord Paul said,"they are very good. These people will compete. Tell your banks to give them some facilities to improve them. But that's in their hands, the banks won't give anything to the poor man, they won't give anything to the new entrepreneur."