India Post News Service
CHICAGO: A rising star in Indian Politics, Nara Lokesh, Minister of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and the Human Resources Development Departments in the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the General Secretary of the Telugu Desam Party, was the Chief Guest at Synergy 2024, the flagship annual conference organized by ITServe Alliance, the largest association of IT Services organizations.
Delivering the keynote address at Synergy by ITServe, the voice of all prestigious IT companies functioning with similar interests across the United States, Nara Lokesh, lauded ITServe as it has evolved as a resourceful and respected platform to collaborate and initiate measures in the direction of protecting common interests and ensuring collective success.
A true visionary with forward-thinking, Nara Lokesh, a rising star in Indian politics told the over 2,500 CEOs of small and medium-sized companies in the United States, who had come to be part of the historic Synergy 2024 that he believes the data revolution is here, and Andhra Pradesh is well-poised in terms of harnessing that revolution.
Earlier in his welcome address, Jagadeesh Mosali, President of ITServe Alliance said, “ITServe Alliance originated in response to the unfair practices of The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services imposed on small and medium businesses, which are the economic engines of the country. We were the first in the nation to come up with an idea of an organization representing Information Technology professional Services of like-minded business entrepreneurs.
Through our PAC, ITServe has come a long way, vis-a-vis espousing our visibility and cause in the US Congress, introducing our very own HIRE ACT, talking to important key MOCs and Senators regarding our Bill, taking them into confidence and discussing a path to consolidate it with the EAGLE ACT.”
During his address to the ITServe delegates, Lokesh said that globally, close to $300 billion is being invested in data centers, and his government’s agenda is that we should bring over 100 billion of that to India, and bring the majority of that to the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Vishakhapatnam, he said, stands out with AI education, and particularly with focus on an AI University. “They were really excited about figuring out the interactions of AI in governance, AI in politics, AI in healthcare, AI in entertainment. And like how the erstwhile Indian School of Business Model was, it was completely branching as to how you would love to do the same magic in the AI University and really create next-generation thought leaders and engineers, not only for Andhra Pradesh, but for the world.”
Lokesh said he learned the importance of the need in building a strong team. “I think that’s very important because when I joined Heritage, we had a crisis. Things were not good. We were losing a lot of money because of our retail expansion. The diary was not bringing in that much profit. So, I had to decide early on, the direction or the trajectory of the business. Then I had to figure out whether the team members believed in that vision or not, and based on that, I had to make decisions.
I think politics is all about that. Also. I think you need people who believe in your vision but also have the boldness to correct you when you are making mistakes. So in that sense, in terms of building your team, building the leadership in both organizations is something that I find very similar.”
After he graduated from Stanford University, Lokesh returned to India and took on the role of the Director at Heritage. He ran both private enterprises and then entered into politics.
Describing the differences between running a private enterprise and being elected government official, Lokesh had this to say: “They’re quite stark and quite different. In the private sector, when you are the boss, you decide the direction, and you understand the journey. The results speak for themselves. If one month you miss something, you know where to correct it. I think in politics, you only get elections once every five years at the state level, so it gets very difficult to figure out the right trajectory.
It’s very important to remain grounded, meet people, hear from them, and understand whether what you are doing is right and whether what programs you are taking are meeting their aspirations or not. So for me, that was very, very important. I think both journeys are mutually exclusive.”
Despite being defeated in the Mangalagiri Assembly seat in 2019, Lokesh continued his work in the constituency and gained the public’s trust.
Regarding his loss in the Assembly elections in 2019 and re-contest in 2024, Lokesh said, “A lot of people told me, why not contest from a safe seat. And I told them, I know, to take an easy route or exit, that’s accepting defeat, and I am not going to. So I contested in the Mangalagiri Assembly seat again in 2024 and I am really proud to say that I won with the highest margin that Andhra Pradesh has ever seen, which is over 91,000.
With his triumph, the TDP won the key Mangalagiri seat for the first time after nearly four decades. Lokesh is being credited for the TDP’s resurgence in Andhra Pradesh. “To be honest, this victory was certain, but I think this kind of mandate took everyone off guard. This mandate has increased our responsibility.
While discussing the Ministry formation in Andhra Pradesh, Lokesh offered to take on the Human Resource Development Ministry, which is one of the toughest ministries, with a lot of trade unions. “And I love the challenge, and it’s a great opportunity for me to shape the next-generation leaders, thinkers, engineers, scientists, doctors. So I always believe as leaders, you should take a road less traveled and transform it in your own way. And that is what I have learned in my political journey.”
Learning from past mistakes, Lokesh said, the current Ministry headed by the TDP is looking at business processes, and re-engineering the government, and I am looking at, how can we deliver seamless governance in the hands of people, in the hands of citizens. How do you make politicians and officers relevant in day-to-day governance, in any day-to-day citizens’ lives. So that’s where I believe technology will play an important role. But it is also important to transform our processes and re-engineer the processes, and this is what you will see happening in Andhra Pradesh in the upcoming months.”
Lokesh said, that a new state like Andhra Pradesh is presented with a unique opportunity, which is to decentralize development and not to center development around one city or one ecosystem. Way back in 2014, Chandrababu Naidu had a clear vision of which district should do what, and that’s why KIYA came to Anantapur, TCL, Foxconn came to Chittor and Bello, and where Amravati is like our state capital.
From day one, Lokesh said, he strongly believed that Vishakhapatnam should be the state capital because it has the right ingredients. “Now let’s talk about what are those right ingredients. It has amazing connectivity. It has great engineering colleges and amazing talents. And I jokingly keep saying that if Bangalore were to marry Goa and have a child that would be Vishakhapatnam, it’s such a beautiful city, with a gorgeous ecosystem, and I truly believe that for it not only to survive, but to flourish Vishakhapatnam has all the right ingredients of a state capital.”
Lokesh shared with the audience his works and interactions with the rural Andhra. “I had a great chance to interact with farmers across segments.
Lokesh said that the Andhra state can play a very important role in guiding farmers. “There is a lot of work that we can do as a government in terms of guiding farmers, giving not just subsidies alone, but inputs, and even strengthening it with research stations and ensuring that the optimal output and productivity comes from the respective farm.
So for me, that’s of great interest and as he went on to add, “It is very fascinating that these are interventions you will at a policy level that will come up. And I truly believe that the Royal Sima region particularly has a great opportunity to leapfrog in agriculture. It has amazingly fertile soil and just giving water to drip and giving extension to the appropriate horticulture crop, I think can truly transform agriculture in that sense. And the last bit I’d like to add is technology plays an important role, more so from the government’s ability to map which commodities are being grown and in what quantities and how should government be prepared, in terms of sale price hikes or slumps.”
Lokesh has been credited with ushering in new technologies in all his work, with focus on transformation of the rural Andhra Pradesh. In May 2018, he won the Business World magazine “Digital Leader of the Year” at the Businessworld Digital India summit
Lokesh shared a greater vision for India to be the leader in world economic growth. According to him, “We will compete with other states, and we will create a very conducive environment in Andhra Pradesh in terms of attracting investments to how you translate the vision of the Chief Minister down to the grassroots life functioning. So, the Chief Minister has a “But the still the need for greater momentum. The tendency is to tell how not to do things, and that’s the challenge that we struggle with. So we are in the process of bringing about that change, institutional change among the officers, among the political system
On his ambitions to play a national role as leader of India, any role beyond Andhra Pradesh in the coming months and years, Lokesh was very candid. “Politics is one great field where you can positively or negatively influence people’s lives. Being a third-generation politician, I see this as a great opportunity to transform things. There are amazing aspirations at the grassroots level that it is important that we meet those aspirations and deliver and after that, it is for people to decide where I should be. So, you know, we are here. We are here to serve the people. We are here to create amazing policies and investments, create jobs, create ecosystems, and then it is for people to decide whether I should be a Delhi politician or a state politician.
Lokesh said, “I think you should take life as it comes. Never carry stress home. There is no need to carry stress. So I believe that the stress of work should be left outside your door. When you go home. You should spend time with your family, no second thoughts about it. What I’ve realized is, when you are stressed and make decisions, you end up making a lot of mistakes.
Lokesh said that one of the agendas with which his government working is, “how do we double the per capita income of Telugu people here in the US and all across the world. And one thing we want to work with IT services, and how do we skill up all our IT professionals in the US and across the world.”
Lokesh commented on the renewed interest among non-resident Telugus and “this greater commitment, that let’s do it now, I see that in everyone. We really want to work hard and really do good for our state and as a Minister and part of a delegation, we are really excited to take all of you back and showcase what you can do best and what are areas that together we can work on in developing the state of Andhra Pradesh.”
According to Lokesh, AI is an area of great interest for us as a state of Andhra Pradesh and is open for doing business. “We are ready. We will match it with the speed of doing business. I am leading a delegation in which we have a very young officer who is the CEO of the economic development board.
As you said, all of you have an interest not only in it. It could be tourism, it could be education, it could be healthcare. And as a state, we are ready. We are ready to make this an amazing journey, and together, I believe that all of us can transform the state of Andhra Pradesh.”
Also Read: Indra Nooyi to deliver keynote address at ITServe’s Synergy 2024
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