The Padma Bhushan awardee and IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch, N Vittal passed away in Chennai. With the passing of N Vittal, 85, former Telecom Secretary and Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on Thursday, the country has lost the person who had sown the seeds for the growth of the information technology sector four decades ago
About his experiences
His experience of more than 40 years covered a wide spectrum with focus on industrial administration, science and technology and security. As Secretary of the Department of Electronics (1990-1996), he initiated policies for boosting software, setting up software technology parks and strategic alliance with the industry. This eventually led to the formation of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).
As Chairman of the Telecom Commission, he also initiated the process of liberalisation in the telecom sector and played a major role in getting the National Telecom Policy 1994 approved.
Vittal, a chemistry honours graduate of Loyola College, Chennai, was a strong advocate of ethics and a corruption-free India. In a preface of his book, Corruption in India – The Roadblock to National Prosperity, he says, “Corruption is anti-national, anti-economic development and anti-poor. As CVC, I had a ringside view of the occupation at the bureaucratic level and indirectly at the political level for four years.”