New Delhi: Former prime minister late P V Narasimha Rao will be conferred with Bharat Ratna Award, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his X handle, on Friday.
He also announced the same honour for former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh and agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award conferred by the Indian government. The government had earlier announced the country's highest civilian honour for L K Advani and Karpoori Thakur.
"Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, Shri PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities," Modi said on X.
PM Modi said Rao is equally remembered for the work he did as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years.
According to Modi, Narasimha Rao's visionary leadership was instrumental in making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country's prosperity and growth. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by significant measures that opened India to global markets, fostering a new era of economic development, Modi added.
"Furthermore, his contributions to India's foreign policy, language and education sectors underscore his multifaceted legacy as a leader who not only steered India through critical transformations but also enriched its cultural and intellectual heritage," Modi wrote in his post.
Son of P Ranga Rao, Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921 at Karimnagar in a Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family. He studied in Osmania University, Hyderabad, Bombay University and the Nagpur University. Being an agriculturist and an advocate, he joined politics and held some important portfolios. He served as the Minister of Law and Information in 1962-64, Law and Endowments in 1964-67, Health and Medicine in 1967 and Education in 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh.
He later became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 1971-73. He handled Home, External, Defence and Foreign Affairs in the cabinets of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He rose to prominence during this time. He was the first Prime Minister from South India.
Often remembered as the 'Father of Indian Economic Reforms,' PV Narasimha Rao saw many ups and downs in his career and personal life as well. However, Rao's tenure as Prime Minister was a period of significant transformation. His most notable contribution was the 1991 economic reforms, which dismantled India's License Raj, transitioning the country to a market-oriented economy.
It was during Rao's term that he appointed Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister, who ushered in a series of economic reforms to lift the country from a worsening economic crisis.
Rao also held the leading role in the Special Non-aligned Mission that visited countries in West Asia in November 1983, in an effort to resolve the Palestian Liberation Organisation.
He successfully published 'SahasraPhan', a Hindi translation of late Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana's famous Telegu Novel 'Veyi Padagalu'; 'Abala Jeevitam', Telugu translation of late Shri Hari Narayan Apte's famous Marathi Novel, "Pan Lakshat Kon gheto". He translated other famous works from Marathi to Telugu and from Telugu to Hindi, and published many articles in different magazines.
