Mr. Sam Pitroda
Chairman, National Knowledge Commission

Mr. Sam Pitroda is an internationally respected development thinker, telecom inventor and entrepreneur who has spent 40 years in Information and Communications Technology and related human and national developments. His experiences include private and public sectors and governments around the world.

Credited with having laid the foundation for and ushered India 's technology and telecommunications revolution in the 1980s, Mr. Pitroda has been a leading campaigner to help bridge the digital divide. During his tenure as Advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s Mr. Pitroda headed six technology missions focused on telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization Dairy and oil seeds. He was also the founder and first chairman of India 's Telecom Commission.

He has lived in the United States since 1964 and has advanced degrees in Physics and Electronics. During mid sixties he worked for GTE and later founded Wescom Switching, one of the world's first digital switching companies. As an inventor Mr. Pitroda owns over 60 global patents including digital diary and mobile Wallet. He has founded several companies including WorldTel Ltd, MTI Electronics and C-SAM, Inc.

He was recently appointed chairman of India 's National Knowledge Commission reporting to the Prime Minister. This is the world's first such attempt to create policy and strategies related to creation, dissemination and application of knowledge with specific focus on access and equity.