Life In short

An engineer, businessman, philanthropist and a politician, Yalamanchili Satyanarayana Chowdary’s life spans several realms of experience.

He was an entrepreneur and led the Hyderabad-based Sujana Group of Industries before retiring from all business commitments to enter public life, when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, representing the Telugu Desam Party in 2010. Mr Chowdary was appointed as the Minister of State for Science & Technology, & Earth Sciences in 2014 as part of the NDA government. Currently, he is serving as an MP from Andhra Pradesh as a BJP representative.

He founded the Sujana Group of Companies in 1986 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1984. He also has a master’s degree in Machine Tool Engineering. The diversified group was ranked as one of the top-10 expanding groups of companies in India in 2011.

His entrepreneurial journey had a humble beginning. Started as a small enterprise that manufactured domestic appliances, like ceiling and pedestal fans, Sujana went on to innovate and introduce diversified products range, like LED lighting, remote- controlled fans and power-saving equipment, among others. Buoyed by the successes, Mr. Chowdary made a strategic move to reverse integrate Sujana’s competencies and move into precision engineering. Today, Sujana is a leading organisation in the niche segment of manufacturing ball bearings and castings.

Creating capabilities in steel manufacturing was his next project. Beginning with re-rolling mill, Sujana introduced the first-ever branded TMT steel – Sujana TMT. The company offers pioneering products like Sujana TMT, Structural Steel, Smart Steel (readymade steel) and Sujana Plus (premium steel for mega constructions). He later diversified into Telecom and Power Infrastructure, Urban Infrastructure, Healthcare and International Trade. His initiatives in the hybrid Green Energy space to meet the critical energy needs of India are part of his nation-building vision.

Sujana Group has a global footprint, operating in the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates.

He relinquished all his business responsibilities after entering public life in 2010 as a Rajya Sabha member representing the Telugu Desam Party, which he loved and admired because he was drawn to the ideas of its founder, late Sri N T Rama Rao. Being a first-generation politician, he had to quickly adapt to politics and devote himself to bring a change.

Mr Chowdary was appointed as the Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences in 2014 as part of the NDA government. Currently, he is serving as an MP from Andhra Pradesh as a BJP representative.

His homespun values, combined with an inherent sense of giving back to the society, compel Mr. Chowdary to work towards empowering the underprivileged, regardless of his or her background.

As a humanitarian and under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, a path-breaking scheme to enable parliamentarians to implement and demonstrate innovations in rural development, Mr. Chowdary adopted the Ponnavaram village, close to Vijayawada in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, where he was born in 1961. Through this programme, the village has experienced progressive transformation with initiatives like the introduction of digital classrooms in government schools, conducting of medical camps and building toilets for the households, making perceptible impact.

YS Chowdary and his wife, Padmaja, are the proud parents of two children, Y. S. Karthik and Y. Naga Chandini.