- PamulaparthiVenkataNarasimha Rao was born on 28 June 1921 in Karimnagar (now in Telangana).
- Rao entered politics as a Congress Party activist working for independence from Britain.
- Rao served in the Andhra Pradeshstate legislative assembly from 1957 to 1977, supporting Indira Gandhi in her split from the Congress Party organization in 1969.
- He held various ministerial positions in the Andhra Pradesh government from 1962 to 1973, including that of chief minister from 1971.
- In that latter post Rao implementeda revolutionary land-reform policy and secured political participation for the lower castes.
- Rao was known as a distinguished scholar-intellectual who once was chairman of the Telugu Academy in Andhra Pradesh (1968–74).
- Rao was fluent in six languages, translated Hindi verses and books, and wrote fiction in Hindi, Marathi, and Telegu.
- Rao served as the Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996.
- Immediately after becoming the Prime Minister Rao began efforts to restructure India’s economy by converting the inefficient quasi-socialist structure into a free-market system.
- During Rao’s tenure, Hindu fundamentalism became a significant force in national politics for the first time.
- In spite of significant achievements in a difficult situation, in the 1996 general elections the Indian electorate voted out Rao’s Congress Party.
- Rao resigned as party chief and was charged with corruption and bribery in an allegedvote-buying scheme dating from 1993.
- Rao, was the first Indian prime ministerto face trialon criminal charges, was found guilty in 2000, but his convictionwas later overturned.
- Rao died on December 23, 2004 in New Delhi.
