The State government has decided to organise the birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao for one year.
The main programme would start at PV Gnana Bhoomi here on June 28, coinciding with the birthday of the visionary leader and celebrations would be held at 50 different locations across the world simultaneously. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the government had decided to organise the celebrations on a grand scale to recall and remember the services rendered by the multi-faceted personality. The government had decided to sanction ₹10 crore with immediate effect for organising the year-long celebrations.
The Chief Minister held a detailed review meeting to discuss about the arrangements that should be made for the centenary celebrations. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, celebrations committee chairman K. Keshav Rao, government’s chief advisor Rajiv Sharma and others attended the meeting where discussion was held about the programmes that should be organised as part of the celebrations.
The Chief Minister would participate as chief guest in the main event at P.V. Gnana Bhoomi and wanted the officials to strictly follow the COVID-19 guidelines. Minister and TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao had been asked to coordinate the celebrations at 50 locations across the globe. Recalling the association the former Prime Minister had with different States, the Chief Minister wanted them to prepare an action plan relating to which programmes should be organised where.
The government was actively considering the idea of setting up a PV Memorial on the line of the one for former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at Rameswaram, he said directing that a team headed by Mr. Keshav Rao visit Rameswaram and suggest how the memorial should be constructed. In addition, steps should be taken to instal bronze statues of PV at Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Vangara and Telangana Bhavan while his portrait should be kept in the Legislative Assembly.
Special souvenirs should be brought out in memory of his contributions as journalist and writer, the Navodaya schools set up during his time as also the economic reforms initiated under his regime which changed the direction of the country. It was decided that the State Cabinet and the Legislature would pass a resolution demanding conferment of Bharat Ratna on PV while the Chief Minister said he would personally meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.
