Mr. Sam Pitroda is an internationally
respected
telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker, and policy maker who has spent 50
years in
information and communications technology (ICT) and related global and national
developments.
Credited with having laid the foundation
for
India’s telecommunications and technology revolution of the 1980s, Mr. Pitroda has been
a
leading campaigner to help bridge the global digital divide. During his tenure as
Advisor to
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda led six technology missions related to
telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy production, and oilseeds. He
was also
the founder and first Chairman of India’s Telecom Commission. In these plural roles, Mr.
Pitroda helped revolutionize India’s development philosophies and policies with a
focus
on access to technology as the key to social change.