- K.L. Rao
Dr.Kanuri Lakshmana Rao is an
India nengineer . APadma Bhushan awardee, he was born in Kankipadu ( 20 k.m. fromVijaywada ) on 15th July, 1902.Honours
In 1963, Dr.K.L.Rao was awarded "Padma Bhushan" by the president of india for his contribution in the areas of Irrigation and power. He worked as president of Irrigation and Central board in the year 1960. He also worked as the President of All India Engineers Association in 1958-59 & 1959-1960. He was awarded doctorate in science by the Andhra University in 1960. He was also awarded doctorate by the Roorkee University in Engineering in the year 1968.
Personal Life and Education
Dr.Rao was from a middle class family.His father was a village attorney. He lost his father when he was 9 years old. He was a Brilliant and Distinction student right from childhood. He studied Inter Mediate(+2) at Presidency college, Madras. He took his B.E. degree from Madras Uhniversity and he was the first student from Madras University to obtain Master's Degree In Engineering. Later he took his PHD in 1939 from the Birmingham University in United Kingdom.
Engineering career
He worked as a Professor in Rangoon and Burma. After completing PHD he worked as Asst.Professor in UK. He wrote a book called Structural Engineering and reinforced concrete.Reinforced Concrete". After returning to india, he worked as a Design Engineer For Madras Government. He Held the Post of Director (Designs) in Vidyut Commission-New Delhi in the year 1950. He was promoted as chief engineer in the year 1954.
Political career
He was elected as a member of parliament from Vijayawada for the first time in 1961. He was elected as mamber of parliament thrice from the Vijayawada Constituency. On 20 July, 1963, Dr. Rao was sworn in as a minister for Irrigation and electricity in the union government. Under his regime as union minister for water resources, Dr. K.L. Rao designed many Irrigation and Hydro Electric projects. World's Longest Earth Dam (Masonry) On River Krishna in Nalgonda District,Andhra Pradesh is to for his credit. Dr. K.L. Rao worked as union minister in Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Sastry and Indira Gandhi's cabinet. Dr. K.L. Rao died on 18 May, 1986.
SEE ALSO
In the year 2006, the Pulichintala project (at Bellamkonda of Guntur district) has been named as K. L. Rao Sagar project, the icon of the irrigation engineering fraternity in the country. This decision was announced by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at a meeting with senior officials here on 20 February,2006. He also met a cross-section of people and political leaders earlier in the day when he observed that the Pulichintala Project, which was contemplated in 1903 and for which foundation stones were laid in 1961 and 1988, was now fructifying as envisaged by Dr. Rao.
External links
* [http://loksabha.nic.in/ lok Sabha]
* [http://www.cbip.org/eminent-personalities.htm Outstanding Engineers ]
* [http://www.ieindia.org/archives/pastpres.htm Past Presidents of Institute of Engineers]
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