Vishnubhotla Nagaraj Srinivas, an Air Force officer from Telangana, was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) by the President as part of the Republic Day celebrations.
Mr. Srinivas rose to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal on July 1 last year, the first from the State to do so.
Mr. Srinivas was commissioned into the accounts branch of Indian Air Force in 1985 after undergoing training at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal. Born in Warangal in 1963, he did his schooling in Warangal and Hyderabad and graduated from the Osmania University in 1983.
He holds a post graduate degree in business administration and Masters in Defence & Strategic Studies from Madras University besides a degree in law from the Delhi University.