Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the Padma Shri posthumously on Adari Tulasi Rao, former chairman of Visakha Dairy, who passed away on January 4.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Mr. Narasimha Rao requested him to posthumously confer the award on Mr. Tulasi Rao, who had rendered lifetime service to the dairy sector and made Visakha Dairy a profitable cooperative.
Mr. Narasimha Rao recalled how Tulasi Rao made efforts to ensure that Visakha Dairy became a successful farmers’ organisation.
As chairman of the dairy for nearly three decades, he was instrumental in protecting the identity of Visakha Dairy as a milk producers’ organisation despite pressure from the private sector which has largely taken over the dairying business from dairy cooperatives and producer companies in Andhra Pradesh, said Mr. Narasimha Rao, adding that he has mentioned all these in his letter.
He further stated that Tulasi Rao had undertaken unique initiatives by providing health and educational facilities to over 18 lakh farmer families and employed the children of the farmers in the dairy.
These social initiatives made Tulasi Rao stand out as a distinguished personality among leaders in the dairy sector, Mr. Narasimha Rao said.
Stating that Tulasi Rao has left behind a strong legacy that richly deserves national recognition, Mr. Narasimha Rao urged the Prime Minister to posthumously confer Padma Shri award on him in recognition of his services to the dairy.
