Rest in Peace YSR

Dont count the years you want to live. Ask yourself how much you have done

for the society at large with whatever opportunities the Almighty has provided

you. That was the philosophy of Dr Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, the

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh who met with a tragic end in a chopper crash on

September 3, 2009.

According to YSR, as he was popularly known, the human life is a boon

provided by the Almighty to share ones blessings with others, while serving the

less privileged human beings. A visionary who understood the strength of the new

and emerging technologies, YSR always wanted that such tech revolutions should

not go against the development of the rural economy; they should rather

strengthen the same. He wanted to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge

society and make available the benefits of Information Technology to all

citizens, especially those in rural areas and those living in poverty.

It was based on this idea only he carried forward the IT revolution in Andhra

Pradesh, which was initiated by former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. YSR

wanted Andhra Pradesh to become a leading destination for investments in ICT and

a major player in the information economy. His dream was to leverage ICT for

achieving an INFO-AGE (Inclusive, Networked, Fast, Open, Accountable, Globally

benchmarked and Efficient) government.

It was the rural-centric development vision that prompted him to take the

growth of IT& ITeS to smaller towns and tier-2 cities in the state too. The

government even offered many incentives for setting up IT units in identified

tier-2 locations. We in the IT community will surely miss his leadership whose

mission for sustainable growth and development contributed in great degree to

the development not only in the IT sector in Hyderabad but inclusive growth in

the AP region as a whole, said JA Chowdary, member, TiE Global Board of

Trustees.

A public servant who believed that he was simply a custodian of peoples

trust that is invaluable, YSRs slogan for the campaign for 2009 election was

development and the credibility. He was always committed to a balanced

approach towards giving thrust to information technology, biotechnology and all

sectors that enhance industrial and agricultural production. YSR was of the

vision that there should be transparency in whatever we do. That was why when

the Satyam scandal broke out, he boldly said it was a blot and a systemic

failure.

An astute politician and a charismatic mass leader, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy

was a medical doctor by profession. Born on July 8, 1949, in Pulivendula in the

Rayalaseema region, he always wanted to bridge the gulf between the rich and the

poor, the privileged and the non-privileged. And it was only this vision which

landed him in politics. But sadly enough, the light went off half way throughon

way to brighten up the lives of the ones for whom he wanted to live, those

children of a lesser god.

Team DQ



maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in