A commemorative stamp would be released soon by the Centre in honour of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao on his 100th birth anniversary, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Thursday.
Reddy's request for the stamp came days after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the state cabinet and Legislature would pass resolutions requesting a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, for the former Prime Minister.
"As the nation remembers P V Narasimha Rao on his 100th birth anniversary, I made a request to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad to consider issuing postage stamps in his (PVs) honour, " Krishan Reddy said in a press release.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad have accepted the plea.
Thanking Modi and Prasad for accepting his request, the Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs further said that the move would be a token of respect for what the former prime minister had done for the nation.
"PV Narasimha Rao's foresight and vision helped reboot the country's strategic and economic ties with South East Asia and with his quiet and calm disposition, the former prime minister had left an indelible mark as a great son of India and unleashed many such reforms and initiatives," the union minister said in praise.
The Telangana government has planned a series of programmes in Rao’s honour over the course of the next one year, which will culminate in a grand event in Hyderabad on June 28, 2021.
Speaking at PV's 99th birth anniversary earlier this week, KCR called Rao “a son of Telangana soil” and a “360 degree personality”.
Praising Rao for the economic reforms he introduced, KCR said, “He always took bold steps. His reforms with regard to land rights and education are well-known and generations have benefitted from the decisions he took regarding India’s economy.”
Stating that he would personally lead a delegation to meet PM Modi, KCR said that he would also request the Centre to rename the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) after PV Narasimha Rao.
“We will also re-print the books and other works that PV wrote besides making sure that unpublished works also are made accessible to the public,” the Chief Minister added.
With IANS and PTI inputs