(Diya TV) — Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, better known as KTR, is the son of the first and current Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekhar Rao, and currently serves as the Minister of Information Technology for the Telangana government. He is known to spend each day focused on how best to transform the town, along with Hyderabad, into a global business city built on the key sectors of IT, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
In 2015 TiE Silicon Valley hosted him for the annual Tiecon 2016. This year though he plans to fill an auditorium full of people who are waiting to hear about his future plans for Hyderabad & IT policies. Most recently, Tim Cook of Apple spent some time in India and sources confirm that Apple will be working the Telangana government in the near future.
Tie Silicon Valley will host Mr. Rama Rao on May 31st at the Santa Clara Convention Center
Hyderabad was originally introduced to the technology world in 1995, when Chandrababu Naidu, then-Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, unleashed a series of reforms emphasizing the use of information technology. Naidu made Hyderabad one of India’s IT hubs, and garnered much praise from the industry for his public policies and governing in the process. Naidu served as Chief Minister until 2004.
For his efforts, Naidu was ultimately honored as the Economic Times’ “Business Person of the Year,” and was selected by Time as its “South Asian of the Year.”
He coined the slogan, “Bye bye Bangalore, hello Hyderabad,” in his efforts to counterattack the capital city’s rise as the apparent Silicon Valley of India. By the end of 2004, software exports in Hyderabad reached $1 billion and it became India’s fourth largest exporting city.
Living in the shadow of his father’s political career, KTR had observed more academic and career ambitions. He completed two postgraduate programs — M.Sc in Biotechnology from the University of Pune and an MBA in Marketing & e-Commerce from City University of New York — and returned to India in 2004.
In 2006, his father resigned from the UPA, relinquishing his Lok Sabha seat for the cause of a separate state of Telangana. KTR in turn resigned from his position to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. His efforts were paramount in the passing of India’s Andhra Pradesh ‘Reorganisation Act’, and in 2015, he’d grown into the country’s most astute and was selected by CNN-IBN as that year’s Inspirational Icon of the Year.
Widely regarded as a progressive and disruptive thinker, KTR’s vision seeks to further transform Hyderabad into a global city and Telangana as the most sought after investment destination in the country. Over 320,000 people work in the IT sector of the former, with an annual output of $74 billion — Hyderabad is also India’s fifth-largest contributor to its GDP.
KTR is keenly focused on turning Hyderabad into a fully WiFi-enabled city, and building it into one of the world’s premiere cities for startups and young entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, the city has grown into India’s largest startup incubator — T-Hub, a 70,000-square-foot facility constructed at the cost of Rs 40 crore, can house up to 300 startups and provide workspace for up to 800 people at any given time.
Last year, Google announced it would be setting up its largest developmental facility outside of the U.S. in Hyderabad. Additionally, Amazon announced plans to set up the company’s second Fulfillment Center. Finally, Uber announced it would be setting up its first Center of Excellence in Asia and invest over $50 million in Hyderabad, the company’s largest financial commitment outside of the U.S.
