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Sam Pitroda

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Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda (born 16 November 1942), also known as Sam Pitroda, is an Indian telecommunication engineer, and entrepreneur. He was born in Titlagarh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha[2] to a Gujarati family. He has served as an advisor to two Prime Ministers of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi, during their tenures, and also to the United Nations.[3][4] He is the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress.[5]

Sam Pitroda
Pitroda at the India Economic Summit 2009
Born (1942-11-16) 16 November 1942 (age 82)[1]
Titlagarh, Orissa Province, British India
(present–day Odisha, India)
CitizenshipIndia
United States
Alma materMaharaja Sayajirao University
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Occupation(s)Telecom engineer, entrepreneur
Employer(s)Former advisor to the prime minister on Public Information, Infrastructure & Innovations (PIII)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse
Anjana Pitroda
​
(m. 1966)​
Websitewww.sampitroda.com

Early life and career

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Pitroda was born in Titlagarh, Odisha, India to Gujarati parents.[6]

In 1966 he went to work for GTE in Chicago.[7] He is regarded as a pioneer of hand-held computing when he invented the electronic diary in 1975.[8]

Return to India and later career

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On a trip back to India in 1981, Pitroda was frustrated by how hard it was to call his family back in Chicago, and decided he could help modernize India's telecommunications system.[9] In 1984, Pitroda was invited to return to India by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On his return, he started the Center for Development of Telematics C-DOT, an autonomous telecom R&D organization. He had previously become a naturalized US citizen but renounced his US citizenship to take Indian citizenship again to work in the Indian Government.[10]

In the 1990s Pitroda returned to Chicago to resume his business interests. In May 1995, he became the first chairman of WorldTel initiative of the International Telecommunication Union.[11]

In 1993, Pitroda helped establish (with Darshan Shankar) the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition and The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology near Bangalore in India. The foundation promotes Ayurveda, India's traditional medicinal knowledge.[12]

In October 2009, Pitroda was appointed as advisor to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations with the rank of Cabinet Minister.[13]

Pitroda founded the National Innovation Council in 2010.[14] In August 2010, Pitroda was appointed Chairman of the National Innovation Council.[15]

In 1992, his biography Sam Pitroda: A Biography was published.[16]

He has been living in Chicago, Illinois since 1964 with his wife but travels to India every two months.[10]

Controversies

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During the 2024 Indian general election, Pitroda made remarks in respect of inheritance tax where he allegedly emphasised the need for a policy of wealth redistribution in India and provided an example of inheritance tax in the United States, stating that "If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law." Congress Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh distanced itself from Pitroda's remarks and said that they did not reflect the Congress party's position.[17] In the lead-up to the same election, Pitroda also made headlines over his remarks in an interview to The Statesman where he said "We could hold together a country as diverse as India, where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa (sic)".[18][19]

Pitroda had earlier created controversy over his comments on the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots and 2019 Pulwama attack during the 2019 Indian general election.[20] Soon after making his racial analogy comments, Jairam Ramesh announced that Pitroda had resigned as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress.[21]

Awards

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  • Dataquest gave Pitroda a lifetime achievement award in 2002.[7]
  • In 2008, Pitroda was elected as a world prominent leader by the World Network of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs.[22]
  • In May 2010, the University of Illinois at Chicago college of medicine presented him an honorary degree.[23][24]
  • The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 2009 for his contribution to science and engineering.[25]
  • He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in December 2016 for his contributions in the field of telecommunications technology & innovation by the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEI) [26]

References

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  1. ^ "Timeline".
  2. ^ "Timeline". Sam Pitroda. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. ^ "The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda". msubaroda.ac.in. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Digital Indians: The story so far". BBC News. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  5. ^ PTI (9 September 2024). "Rahul Gandhi is a strategist with deep thinking on any subject: Sam Pitroda". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  6. ^ Jain, Ankur (26 January 2009). "Padma Bhushan for 4 Gujaratis". The Times of India. Ahmedabad.
  7. ^ a b "Sam Pitroda: Lifetime Achievement Award 2002". Dataquest. 27 December 2002. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Electronic Diary patent - CHM Revolution". Computerhistory.org. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. ^ Emily Stone (26 November 2007). "Chicago's 'Mr. India'". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  10. ^ a b Mike Hughlett (8 July 2007). "'Telecom czar' focuses on his next big thing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Interim Board of Directors Elects Mr. Sam Pitroda as Chairman". Press release. ITU. 15 May 1995. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  12. ^ "About". Web site. The Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Pitroda appointed adviser to PM". Deccan Herald. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  14. ^ "National Innovaiton Council". innovationcouncilarchive.nic.in. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman". Web site. National Innovation Council. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  16. ^ Mayank Chhaya (June 1992). Sam Pitroda: A Biography. Konark Publishers. ISBN 8122002757.
  17. ^ "About". Web site. NDTV. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  18. ^ "People in East look like Chinese, in South look like Africans". Web site. ANI. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  19. ^ Prabhu, Sunil (8 May 2024). "Sam Pitroda Quits After Landing Congress In New Mess Over Racist Comments". Web site. NDTV. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  20. ^ "About". Web site. AajTak. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  21. ^ PTI (8 May 2024). "Sam Pitroda resigns as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  22. ^ "WNYLE Prominent Leader". Organization web site. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  23. ^ "UIC to award honorary degree to Sam Pitroda". India Tribune. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  24. ^ "Honorary Degrees 1966 - 2010". University of Illinois at Chicago. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  25. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  26. ^ "'Technology Driven Future' Theme of ASEI's Annual Convention".
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