Ashok Parthasarathi (1940–2019) was an Indian physicist and electronics engineer who served as a Science and Technology Advisor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

[2] He played a crucial role in India's science and technology policies and helped the country become self-reliant in the field.

He worked closely with Indira Gandhi's Principal Secretary P. N. Haksar to create the foundation for modern Indian science and technology.

[1][2] Parthasarathi helped establish public sector enterprises in the 1970s that would manufacture critical products such as microchips and optic fibres, at a time when India could not afford to import latest technologies.

[4] He also was involved in defence matters, such as being consulted by the government during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, and playing a key role in the 1974 nuclear test in Pokhran.