Kona Prabhakara Rao

Kona Prabhakara Rao (1916–1990) was born on 10 July 1916 in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and Governor of Maharashtra from 31 May 1985 to 2nd Apr 1986. He died on October 20, 1990, at National Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad due to cardio-respiratory failure

He did most of his schooling in his native place Bapatla, and then graduated from the Loyola College, Madras and completed his law degree from the I.L.S. Law College, Pune.

At the age of 16, Rao conducted boycott of schools when late Motilal Nehru died. He was a social and political worker and took active part in the Salt Satyagraha movement and Quit India Movement of 1942. In Bapatla he organised a youth league and propagated using of Khadi.

Portfolio

Kona Prabhakar Rao born into a wealthy Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family in Bapatla, received his higher education in Madras. He started practice as an Advocate in Bapatla in the composite Madras State in 1940. He was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1967 and later in 1972 and 1978. He was Speaker of the Assembly during 1980-81. He was President of the APCC(I). He was also Minister of Finance and Planning during the Chief Ministership of Bhavana Venkatram and Vijaya Bhaskara Reddi.

Rao was appointed as Governor of the union territory of Pondicherry on 2 September 1983 and he continued in that post until June 1984. On 17 June 1984 he assumed the office of the Governor of Sikkim, and then succeeded Air Chief Marshal I. H. Latif, as the Governor of Maharashtra, on 30 May 1985.

A keen sportsman Rao was Tennis champion of the Bombay University in 1938. He organised the Shivaji Vyayam Mandali at Bapatla and some other places. He was a wrestler and badminton champion during his college days at Pune.

Rao was actively associated with a large number of cultural organisations. He has in his earlier days produced, acted and directed many Telugu films, notable among them being Mangalasutra, Niraparadhi (1951), Nirdoshi, Drohi and Soudamini.

Rao in his tenure has helped Bapatla progress immensely. In the area of education as the founder of the Bapatla Education Society he ensured several institutions evolved in his home town. He was responsible for bringing Krishna water to the town of Bapatla, which ensured a lot of progression in the area of agriculture which was a prominent means of living for the town.