GUNTUR: Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma praised eminent scientist Yelavarthi Nayudamma as a visionary who dedicated his life to applying science and technology for societal betterment.
He spoke at the Yelavarthi Nayudamma Memorial Award presentation ceremony, organised by the Yelavarthi Nayudamma Science and Technology Foundation at Tenali Ramakrishna Kavi Kalakshetram on Wednesday.
This year’s memorial award was conferred on Nagiraju Maddirala, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Union Ministry of Finance, for his contributions to financial governance.
The Governor said recognising Maddirala as a “people’s administrator” in the financial sector reflected Nayudamma’s ethos of serving society. He recalled working with Maddirala during his tenure as Tripura’s Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, particularly on budget formulation.
In his acceptance speech, Maddirala highlighted Nayudamma’s efforts to make science accessible to farmers and rural communities, calling him a pioneer of inclusive innovation.
He cited India’s rapid progress, including agricultural loans worth Rs 23 lakh crore, over 7 crore Kisan Credit Cards issuing Rs 10 lakh crore, and Rs 3 lakh crore disbursed to 84 lakh self-help groups, as signs of rural economic transformation.
He also praised MSMEs for employing over 11 crore people and hailed India’s digital infrastructure, including UPI transactions, as a global model.
Swarna V Kanth, Secretary of the National Leather Research Institute, described Nayudamma as a “nation builder” and pledged to achieve $50 billion in leather exports by 2030.
The event featured a documentary on Nayudamma and Maddirala and a welcome by Tenali Sub-Collector Sanjana Sinha.