Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella okays innovation centre in native district

Anantapur: In what brings cheers to the people of the district, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella responded positively to a representation by academic experts and intellectuals to establish ‘Microsoft Innovation Centre’ in his native district Anantapur to improve skills of engineering graduates from backward areas in the district.

In the representation, they proposed to set up an innovation centre in memory of Satya Nadella’s father B.N. Yugandhar, who passed away last year. Satya Nadella is a naive of Bukkapuram village in Yellanur mandal in the district. Nadella’s father Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar, a 1962 batch IAS officer was a mentor for generations of civil servants through his innovative schemes across the country. Yugandhar frequently visited his native village and initiated developmental activities till his last breath. Nadella often visited Bukkapuram along with his father as his family owned lands in the village.

The Nadella family contributed Rs 2 crore towards women empowerment through SHG groups in the district a few months ago.

In the view of the fact that more than 90 percent of engineering and professional graduates are jobless, their skills should be relevant for a variety of sections and proper training should be given to make them employable, Dr Suresh Babu, an academician said.

“Microsoft can organise work-integrated learning programmes both for individuals and organisations. Initially, we should start with individuals and have MoUs with the organisations in the next phase. Students who didn’t get placements after completing their graduation can opt for any training course here at the Microsoft Innovation Centre,” he briefed in the representation. Courses offered here should be industry and job oriented.

For instance, in the B. Tech course, programming language C is common for all branches and taught for one whole semester. But still thousands of students land up at various private institutes in Hyderabad for a month-long course in C. The trainers are driven by the need to offer training that gives job-oriented skills unlike in a university.

Students who do not get placements after completing their degree course can opt for an IT training course at the proposed Microsoft Innovation Centre. The institute can also offer
industry-specific training and also these courses due to huge demand across the country. The courses can be taught in small classrooms equipped with bare essentials. Sri Krishnadevaraya University and JNTU Anantapur are ready to provide land and infrastructure for the innovation centre.

Satya Nadella’s father-in-law K.R. Venugopal, who is also a former IAS officer, informed the team of experts of Anantapur that the representation was sent to Nadella for consideration.