Doyen of Indian PSUs, V Krishnamurthy, passes away

Dr V Krishnamurthy, often dubbed as the father of public sector undertakings in India for his stellar role in steering BHEL, SAIL, and Maruti Udyog Limited among others, passed away here on Sunday. He was 97.

Krishnamurthy, who was born in 1925 in Karuveli in Thanjavur district in the Cauvery Delta region, breathed his last on Sunday evening at his residence here. A seasoned technocrat who worked with five prime ministers – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh, Krishnamurthy was also a member of the National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi.

He was CEO of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Maruti Udyog Limited, SAIL and GAIL and known for turning around the PSUs. Also the chairman of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council till 2014, holding the rank of a Cabinet Minister up to 2014, Krishnamurthy was also one of the founding trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

Krishnamurthy was conferred with Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awards for his contributions to society.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to condole the death of Krishnamurthy. “Deeply saddened by the demise of Padma Vibhushan Dr. V Krishnamurthy, a doyen of India’s public sector undertakings. He was a nation builder in the truest sense and through BHEL, Maruti and SAIL, his legendary legacy will live on. My condolences to his family and friends,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

Krishnamurthy had had a glorious innings but missed his century by just three years. “He’ll remain an important part of Indian economic history,” Ramesh said.

TVS Group chairman Venu Srinivasan Krishnamurthy was “my mentor right from the time I started work and right through my entire career. He had an important role to play in helping me build the TVS Motor company. He was one of the tallest leaders in Indian industry. His contribution to the growth of India was immeasurable."