New Delhi, Apr 14 (IANS): Sam Pitroda revolutionised India's communications and IT landscape in the mid-1980s as Advisor to the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Now, he has turned his sights on a much wider canvas – a world that was last designed 75 years ago, about the same time that he was born.

This design has outlived its utility, he maintains in his new book, "Redesign The World – A Global Call to Action" (Penguin).

Hyper-connectivity and the Covid-19 pandemic offer a unique opportunity to redesign the world to take humanity to the next level.

Redesigning the world is not about looking at it from the point of view of liberal or conservative; left or right; capitalism or socialism; public or private; democracy, dictatorship or monarchy; open or closed systems; rich or poor; urban or rural; east or west; white, brown, black or yellow.

This proposed redesign of the world has the planet and its people at the centre; it is built on the foundations of sustainability, inclusion, equality, equity and justice so that everyone on earth can enjoy peace and prosperity. It is not an idealist or utopian vision, but one with humanity at its core.

This book is about reshaping the world to meet the future challenges of our planet and our people.

"Sam Pitroda uses his vast experience in public life and deep technical expertise to make a compelling and an audacious case for a new design of the world order. Stimulating read," says former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during whose tenure he also served as an Advisor of the book.

Sam Pitroda is an internationally recognized telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker and policymaker who has spent 50 years in information and communications technology (ICT) and related global and national developments. He has also served as the chairman of the Smart Grid Task Force, as well as the committees to reform public broadcasting, modernize railways, deliver e-governance and other developmental activities.

Pitroda is a founding chairman of five non-profit organizations including the India Food Bank, the Global Knowledge Initiative and the Institute of Transdisciplinary Health. He is also a founding commissioner of the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development, and chairman of the International Telecommunication Union's m-Powering Development Board that looks to empower developing countries with the use of mobile technology.

In addition, Pitroda is a serial entrepreneur who has started several companies in the United States. He holds around 20 honorary PhDs, close to 100 worldwide patents, and has published five books and numerous papers. He lives in Chicago with his wife.