TENTH JOB AS LEAD PARTNER
AND CONSULTANT IN EMRI-1
With Chairman B Ramalinga Raju
and CEO Venkat Changavalli
Professions, Checkered Career,
and Lessons-13
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao (July 15,
2026)
Subsequently,
I spent four years as Lead Partner, Consultant, and Advisor under the
Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model with the Emergency Management and
Research Institute (EMRI), associated with the 108 Ambulance Services,
receiving a corporate-equivalent salary. This was followed by another four-year
association as Consultant with the Health Management and Research Institute
(HMRI), supporting the 104 Fixed Day Health Services, though with a
significantly lower remuneration when compared to EMRI. Both EMRI and HMRI were
visionary initiatives, brainchildren of the renowned Satyam Computers founder,
Sri Ramalinga Raju.
When
the destiny is decided by God, everything goes favourably and that was what
happened in my case. One day when I was on my odd jobs, and returning home from
an assignment, subject to correction on March 13, 2006, my brother-in-law Dr AP
Ranga Rao called on my mobile, to enquire whether I was interested to take up a
job in EMRI, and if my answer was yes, he would refer my name and resume to
them, and based on an interview, the result would be decided. I agreed. I was
surprised when I received a call from EMRI CEO Venkat Changavalli to come a day
after and meet him.
Dr
AP Ranga Rao was a Multifaceted Visionary who strove for Society, and who
conceptualized and strategized the medical part of 108-Ambulance Services. He
was a multi-specialty physician, served as Secretary AP Red Cross Society, as
Managing Director of AP Handicapped Corporation, represented Indian Peace
keeping Force in Sri Lanka and. He was also a consultant to a host of medical
and health subjects that positioned Hyderabad as a medical hub in Asia. It was
to his credit, that, what Dr Ranga Rao designed and successfully implemented,
the EMRI Ambulance Services, today stands tall and shiny.
While
the lesson I learnt with this was that when in difficulties, God in the form of
friends and relatives will come to our rescue and all will be good. It was a
two-hour interview, after a wait of two hours to see CEO Venkat (Which I later
learnt, that, it was part of interview to test my patience that required for
the job for which I was called). The role for which they called me was to lead
the ‘Public Private Partnership’ assignment in EMRI, a concept that was just
then conceptualized by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and help in expansion
of 108 Ambulance Services statewide, and in due course Nationwide. What a Great
Chance!
I
was surprised when CEO Venkat offered me the Job as Lead Partner (PPP), one
level below CEO. More surprise was when he indicated my monthly salary figure,
that was five times what I would have otherwise got, had I been taken back in
MCR HRD. While instantly accepting the offer, I told Venkat that, even one
fifth of what he indicated would do initially, and may be enhanced later, after
his satisfaction with my work. However, we both agreed for what he offered.
Merit and destiny, as well as favourable references always help an individual
to grow, and if any setback, it will be purely temporary. I joined EMRI on
March 17, 2006.
When
Satyam Computers, founded by B Ramalinga Raju attained reputation nationally
and internationally and earned him crores of rupees as profits, the
philanthropic urge in Ramalinga Raju came to the fore. In the backdrop of this,
on June 27, 2001 when Ramalinga Raju lost his father Byrraju Satyanarayana
Raju, he along with his brothers established Byrraju Foundation on August 15,
2001. This led to the formation of 108 Ambulance Services later.
Emergency
Management and Research Institute (EMRI) was registered as a Non-for-Profit PPP
Model Society. It was modelled along the lines of 911 services offered in the
USA. While providing the initial investment and infrastructural facilities,
Raju signed a MoU with the then State Government on April 2, 2005. By July 14,
2005 infrastructure related to the Information technology was put in place. 108
was allotted by Government of India as toll free number that can be used all
over the country forever and orders were issued accordingly.
EMRI
was established with an aim of providing comprehensive Emergency Response
Services (Medical, Police and Fire). It ‘integrates’
many resources and provides sustainable round the clock safety to citizens in a
timely and effective manner through SENSE (Communication and Dispatch: collects
the facts about the emergency and assign the strategically located vehicle),
REACH (Transport of vehicle to reach the site) and CARE (Providing the
Pre-hospital care while transporting the patient or victim to the Hospital for
stabilization).
Services
were rolled out in Hyderabad and several cities and towns in the then AP,
slowly and steadily. Initially Raju conceptualized that, the services with only
75 Ambulances and with his funding, were to be started and later to be expanded
in a Voluntary Service Mode and in PPP concept. When Raju’s plan took off,
starting from Hyderabad, and when the fourth Ambulance as part the plan, with
Venkat as CEO, was slated to be launched in Nellore, I attended the interview a
day before. God gave me an opportunity, then and there to demonstrate my Public
Relations Capabilities, that were essential for my future job in EMRI.
While
the interview was almost done, including the offer with proposed salary, during
conversation CEO Venkat mentioned about the proposed launch the next day and
the difficulties he was encountering in contacting the Collector. Though I knew
the name of the collector, I obtained details of him and his contact number,
and called over phone. When I got the response to my call, and addressed him
politely but with his first name, and briefed everything Venkat was extremely
happy. And next day all went well. That young IAS officer, the collector of
Nellore then, today (at the time of writing this) is working as a Principal
Secretary to one of the powerful Chief Ministers. {When I posted this he is the EO TTD, a post which anyone cannot get unless God Desires, and Lord Balaji certainly wanted him to be in his abode}
From
the time I joined in EMRI, for the next little over three and half years, with
complete freedom I got from CEO Venkat Changavalli, with sky as the limit, and
using all my earlier contacts while working with a CM, Governor, and MCR HRD
Institute, the services were expanded to 14 States with 10,500 Ambulances.
First state that went for expansion was Gujarat as supported by the then CM
Narendra Modi, after the then United AP. I still remember the entire process
initiated by me, the details of which will follow later, and the day when the
services were launched on a big scale by the CM Modi, in which I
participated.
It
was followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Goa, Assam,
Karnataka, Meghalaya, Punjab, UP, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir. State Governments were providing most of the funding while EMRI part
funded and managed the services in PPP mode. After Ramalinga Raju resigned on
his own reasons as Chairman, GVK Group took the responsibility of running the
EMRI. Within months I left the organization, the reason could be I was not able
to sail with the new management or the management itself felt that I outlived
my utility!
My
role was a challenging one as the Lead Partner Public Private Partnership. EMRI Chairman Raju and CEO Venkat,
firmly believed to partner with Government, since that kind of a service as
well as for replicating in future in other states, would not happen without the
Government support. Logistic wise like movement of ambulances, support from
police and fire services departments, hospitals attachment for treatment and
coordination of other connected government departments, it was felt essential
to partner with the government. Initially when EMRI on its own approached
Andhra Pradesh Government for PPP framework it was more for sustainability
rather than funding support since finance was not important to go to
government. EMRI and Government acknowledged each other’s work.
When I was working there, the Governing Board and
Leadership Team consisted of former Rashtrapati (President of India) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam,
Satyam Computers founder Chairman B Ramalinga Raju, Satyam Cofounder B Rama
Raju, Former MD McKinsey Rajat Gupta, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dr
Raji Reddy, Lok Satta National Coordinator Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, Harvard
Business School Associate Dean Dr Krishna G Palepu, Chief mentor of CII Tarun
Das, MD CEO ICICI Bank KV Kamath, Industrialist Krishnam Raju, former President
of NASSCOM Kirna Karnik, and CEO EMRI Venkat Changavalli. And I had the
privilege to attend if not all, at least few meetings of the Board, when
required.
PROFESSIONS, CHECKERED CAREER,
AND LESSONS
(From Librarian to CPRO to CM
KCR)
A Journey from Khangi School to Center for Excellence}}
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