Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 28 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao on the eve of his birth anniversary on Saturday.

In a post on X, BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami praised Rao's visionary leadership, which played a crucial role in shaping India's economic landscape through historic steps towards economic liberalisation.

'Heartfelt tributes on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister, the late P.V. Narasimha Rao Ji. Under your visionary leadership, India took historic steps toward economic liberalization. Your contributions to the field of national development continue to inspire us all.' CM Dhami said.

Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was posthumously conferred with the country's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, by President Droupadi Murmu on March 30, 2024.

Born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar, Telangana, and being an agriculturist and an advocate, Narasimha Rao joined politics and held some important portfolios. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967; and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Rao, the ninth Prime Minister of India, assumed office in June 1991 and stayed in power till May 1996. He is credited with bringing many economic reforms in the country particularly for dismantling the License Raj in the country.

Rao took over the post of Home Minister on July 19, 1984, and was re-appointed to this post, with the additional charge of the Ministry of Planning, on November 5, 1984.

He was appointed as the Minister of Defence from December 31, 1984, to September 25, 1985. On September 25, 1985, he took over as the Minister of Human Resource Development.

He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971-73 and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1975-76. (ANI)