Rallies, public meetings and photo exhibitions marked the 146 th birth anniversary celebrations of Pingali Venkayya, the architect of the national flag, across the State on Tuesday.
Programmes were lined up for the celebrations organised as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the celebrations by unfurling the national flag at his camp office. He unveiled a portrait of Pingali Venkayya and inaugurated a photo exhibition on the occasion.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy also unveiled a portrait of Pingali Venkayya prepared by Regulla Mallikarjua Rao, Director of Tourism and Culture.
Energy Minister P. Ramachandra Reddy, Adviser to government (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma and DGP K.V. Rajendranath Reddy and the CMO officials also paid rich tributes.
Patriotic fervour marked the ‘2K rally’ taken out at Bapatla. The rally began at the B.R. Ambedkar’s statue and ended at the statue of Pingali Venkayya at the railway station.
Participating in the celebrations, Minister for Social Welfare M. Nagarjuna said that institutions such as Panchayat Raj system were upholding the democratic values and it was a tribute to the visions of the founders of Indian democracy.
Stating that the country had achieved a lot of progress during the last 75 years in political representation, economic development and public healthcare system, the Minister said a lot needs to be done to ensure that the fruits of political, social and economic revolution reach the common man.
The Minister, along with Deputy Speaker Kona Raghupati, Bapatla Collector Vijaya Krishnan and Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal, paid rich tributes at the statue of Pingali Venkayya at the railway station.
At Narsaraopet, MLA Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy and Palnadu Collector Siva Sankar Lotheti paid rich tributes to the freedom fighter at a public meeting.
Mr. Lotheti said that the India’s freedom struggle had many milestones. “Pingali Venkayya was a multifaceted personality who made a mark in agriculture and geology, apart from designing the national flag. The earlier design had two colours. The tricolour design was finalised later,” he said.
The Collector said that Pingali Venkayya had a deep connection with Palnadu. His daughter Ghantasala Seethamahalakshmi, who lived in Macherla, died recently. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy went to Macherla in March 2021 and handed over a cheque of ₹75 lakh with the family of Pingali Venkayya,” said the Collector.
