He was born in Sanghol, India and is the oldest sibling of three brothers and two sisters. Lord Rana left Punjab in 1963 for England, but now has been a resident of Belfast since 1966. He had to repair his property portfolio over 25 times during the Troubles in Northern Ireland because of bombings and arson attacks. "Being an Indian I should not have had any loyalty to Northern Ireland; I stayed there despite the problem," said Lord Rana. Today, he is a successful property developer, hotelier and president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is director of Andras House, is a leading figure in the Indian community in Northern Ireland. He is India's honorary consul in Belfast. Lord Rana claims to promote business links between India and Northern Ireland and has been elected president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. He led a trade mission of 13 companies to India to explore business opportunities for Northern Ireland companies.
Awards and philanthropy
Rana was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 Birthday Honours, for his contribution to the economic regeneration of the city of Belfast. Rana has set up a charitable trust of Rs. 50 million for a school and a college named Taxila, in his native village Sanghol, near Chandigarh, India. The new college has collaborative links with the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. The university conferred an honorary doctorate on Rana who led a delegation of academics from the university to India to explore educational partnerships and help develop university links between India and Northern Ireland. Rana also received an Honorary Doctorate from Bengal Engineering and Science University in West Bengal in November 2008.
Disputes
A dispute has continued for many years over the redevelopment plans of the Tillie & Henderson factory site in Derry, this site is owned by Dijit Rana. The site was previously a shirt factory of historic importance but was damaged in multiple arson attacks including major ones in 2001, and 2002, and was subsequently demolished without permission in 2003. A budget hotel originally envisioned for the site was still at the planning stage in 2009. Rana stated in April 2009 that his designers "we're trying to get things right this time", and communication was ongoing with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and he hoped that "there will be a general welcome for our plans in what is a prime location in the city". Rana was forced to comply with an Urgent Works Notice in 2003 from the Department of the Environment. It obliged him to carry out immediate repairs to Cairndhu House, near Larne. Rana was advised that the building would be taken from him if he did not comply with the works notice. Rana himself states that he has protected a lot of heritage buildings in Belfast, including:
