Sam Pitroda (born 04 May 1942, in Titlagarh, Orissa) (Real name Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda) is an inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India’s communications revolution. As Advisor, he will be looking into creating information infrastructure for enhancing delivery of services to the citizens in various areas and will also be working on creating a roadmap for a ‘Decade of Innovation’ in India.
He is also the founder & CEO of C-SAM, Inc. He has also served as an advisor to the United Nations and in 1992, his biography Sam Pitroda: A Biography was published and became the bestseller on the The Economic Times list for five weeks.
Early life Born in Titlagarh, Orissa, India. His parents hailed from Gujarat and migrated to Orissa. They were deeply influenced by Gandhi and his philosophy and consequently, he and his brother were sent to Gujarat to imbibe Gandhian philosophy. He completed his schooling from Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat and completed his Masters in Physics and Electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. After completing his Masters in Physics he went to the US and did his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. In 2010, he received a Honorary degree from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Career Pitroda became the Vice President. During his four decades as an engineer, Mr. Pitroda has filed scores of patents in telecommunications. The latest set of patents relate to mobile phone based transaction technology. In 1983, he also designed his own computer- themed card game called Compucards which used binary numbers (1, 2, 4, 8...) instead of decimal and had a computer bug as the joker 1990's Mr. Pitroda explored the world of mobile phone transcation technology and telecom developments in emerging markets.
Continue….. In 1984, Mr. Pitroda was invited to return to India by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during his tenure as advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda headed six technology missions related to telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy and oilseeds. He is also the founder and first chairman of India’s Telecom Commission.
Awards Mr. Pitroda was awarded the Dataquest IT Lifetime Achievement Award in Mr. Pitroda is the recipient of the prestigious Canada India Foundation ("CIF") Chanchlani Global Indian Award (2008). The award instituted by the Canada India Foundation is presented annually to an outstanding Indian who has demonstrated global leadership, vision, and personal excellence, which has made all of us of Indian origin extremely proud of our heritage. Mr. Pitroda received this award in presence of the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and Former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan award in 2009 by the Government of India for his contribution to Science and Engineering. Mr. Pitroda also received the Rajiv Gandhi "Global Indian" award in In the year 2009; Mr. Sam Pitroda received the prestigious
CONTINUE……… In January 2008, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh honoured Sam Pitroda with a Doctorate of Science. In 1993, Mr. Pitroda helped establish the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT) near Bangalore in India. At present, he is a Governing Council Member. The aim of the foundation is to make full use of India's rich and diverse traditional medicinal knowledge.
He was also felicitated on 31 March 2009 by Akhila Bharatiya Viswakarma Mahasabha (ABVM) for service to the viswakarma community, in the presence of Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Shiela Dixit, and President of ABVM, Chedilal Sharma. In 2008, Pitroda was elected as World Prominent Leader by the World Network of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs WNYLE.He also appeared on the cover of INCLUSION magazine.
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