Indian Overseas Congress Chairman Sam Pitroda's statement has stirred up Indian politics, referring to America's inheritance tax, also known as the estate tax, as a fascinating law.
Pitroda points out that in America, an inheritance tax applies. Meaning, if someone possesses property worth 10 million dollars, upon their death, the children would only receive 45 percent of the property while the government takes the remaining 55 percent.
According to Pitroda, such law does not exist in India. If someone has a property worth 10 billion rupees here, the children inherit the entire property upon the owner's death, leaving nothing for the public.
Sam Pitroda's full name is Satyanarayana Gangaram Pitroda. Renowned as a telecommunications inventor and entrepreneur, he has been working on telecom and communication technology for nearly 50 years. He was born to a Gujarati family in Titlagarh, Odisha, in 1942 and is the third of seven siblings. After schooling at a boarding school in Gujarat, he earned his Master's degree in Physics and Electronics from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He went to America for further studies and, in 1964, completed another Master's degree in Physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
1975: The Year of the First Patent
After completing his studies in 1965, Pitroda joined the telecom industry. In 1975, he invented the electronic diary, which was his first patent. Throughout his career, he has filed numerous patents, including a patent for the best transaction technology on mobile phones.
The Moment He Renounced U.S. Citizenship
Pitroda's family has always been influenced by Gandhian philosophy, and he has been closely associated with the Congress. In 1984, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi invited Sam Pitroda back to India. Following her invitation, he returned to India and renounced his American citizenship in order to take up Indian citizenship, due to India's single citizenship rule.
Upon his return to India, in 1984, he established the Centre for Development of Telematics, a self-governing organization working on telecommunications. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, when Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, Pitroda became his advisor. In 1987, Rajiv Gandhi appointed him as the head of six technology missions related to telecom, water, education, immunization, dairy, and oilseeds. Pitroda worked with Rajiv Gandhi for several years to bring changes to India's information industry, aiming to extend digital telecom throughout every corner of the country.
Return to America
After working for several years in India, Pitroda moved back to the U.S. in the 1990s. Living in Chicago, he founded numerous companies. In May 1995, he became the inaugural chairman of the International Telecommunication Union's WorldTel Initiative.
When the Congress-led UPA government was formed in 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Pitroda to chair the National Knowledge Commission. Singh's invitation brought Pitroda back to India, where he served as the commission's chairman from 2005 to 2009.
After the 2009 elections, when the UPA government returned to power, Pitroda was appointed as an advisor to Manmohan Singh in October 2009, and was also accorded the status of a cabinet minister.
Over 100 Patents Filed
According to information available on Sam Pitroda's website, he has also started five NGOs including India Food Bank, The Global Knowledge Initiative, and The Institute of Transdisciplinary Health. In addition, he has served as a founding commissioner of the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development, and is the president of the M-Powering Development Board of the International Telecommunication Union, focused on promoting mobile technology in developing countries.
Pitroda has launched several companies in America and has filed over 100 patents globally. He has authored five books so far. Sam Pitroda currently resides in Illinois, Chicago, with his wife and two children.
