M. R. Seetharam
M. R. Seetharam is an Indian politician, entrepreneur, educationist and philanthropist from the state of Karnataka. He was nominated as a member of Legislative Council in 2012. He was the Minister for Planning, Statistics, Science and Technology in the Congress state Government. He is also the Vice-Chairman of Gokula Education Foundation and Director of M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, M.S. Ramaiah Polytechnic and M.S. Ramaiah Hostels. M.R. Seetharam has worked towards preserving the parks and lung spaces in his constituency. He has also implemented the Government's Self Employment Schemes like Antyodaya, Akshara Dasoha and Yeshaswini  Co-operate Health Schemes. Early life and Family. M. R. Seetharam was born on 4 April 1956, Bengaluru, Karnataka. He is the son of late Dr. M. S. Ramaiah, one of the pioneers in Education and Healthcare in Karnataka who founded the Gokula Education Foundation (GEF). He received his primary education from St. Joseph's School. He holds a graduate degree in Science from St. Joseph's College. He is married to Shruthy Seetharam who is a homemaker and is actively involved in social activities involving the poor and needy. He has two children, the elder son Raksha Ramaiah is  an emerging leader in Indian Youth Congress holding the post of Vice President, Bangalore Urban District. His younger son Sundar Ram is also an office bearer in IYC holding the post of General Secretary, Malleswaram Assembly constituency. Political life. M.R. Seetharam started his political journey as the president of the Students Governing Council in St. Joseph's College. He entered mainstream politics by joining the Indian National Congress and started off by serving as an executive member of Karnataka Pradesh Congress (I) Sevadal in 1986. He was appointed as the Treasurer of Karnataka Pradesh Congress (I) from the year 1989  – 1992 and KPCC Sevadal from 1992 – 1996. He was elected as a member of KPCC in the year 1997. M.R. Seetharam fought his first election in the year 1999. He won the Malleshwaram Constituency defeating his JD(U) rival Raghupathy M with a margin of 20,000 votes. This was the first time Congress won a seat from Malleshwaram Assembly Constituency after Independence. He won the next assembly election from Malleswaram in the year 2004 defeating his BJP rival Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan with a margin of 11,000 votes. In 2008, he lost the Malleshwaram constituency elections to his nearest rival. From  1997 – 2000, he was the In-charge to run the party offices and also the In-charge for Bengaluru division of Bengaluru Urban, Rural, Kolar, Tumkur, Shimoga, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Mysuru, Haveri districts for the Zilla Parishad elections 2000. M.R. Seetharam was elected AICC member in the year 2001. While serving as an MLA of Malleswaram, INC won five out of seven wards of Malleswaram assembly in the BBMP elections held on 11 November 2001. M.R. Seetharam has worked as Member of the KPCC Campaign Committee 2013 for the Congress party candidates in the districts of Kolar, Tumkur, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru  Urban and Bengaluru City for the Assembly elections. In the year 2016 he sworn as Cabinet Minister for Planning, Statistics, Science and Technology and also Incharge Minister for Kodagu District Govt of Karnataka . Contributions and Initiatives. 1999 – 2003 2004 – 2008 Mobile Planetarium. M.R. Seetharam flagged the mobile Planetarium initiative called "Taare Zameen Par" in 2017. A total of 5 mobile vans will travel across the state to impart and educate students from the rural parts of the state on Astronomy. This is a first of its kind initiative in the country. There are a total of 7 planetariums in the  country which are inaccessible by students in the semi-urban and rural parts of the country. This initiative of mobile planetarium will give access to more and more students to such facilities and help them learn about the universe in an entertaining way.