Suryadevara Ramachandra Rao is an Indian civil servant and the former Municipal Commissioner of

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

, a large metropolitan city in the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. He is best known for his developmental efforts during the 1994 epidemic of plague and for transforming it from a dirty city into one of the cleanest and greenest in India, with the city being rated as the second cleanest in India, after

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

, in a survey conducted by the Indian National Trust for Arts and Culture. Later he became the chairman of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust and during his tenure there, the port is reported to have become a major port in India. He also served as the Secretary of the

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

and the

Ministry of Commerce and Industry A ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

. He was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Government of India, in 1998, making him one of the few civil servants to be awarded Padma honours while in service. He is also a recipient of the Tirupathi Raju Memorial Award.

References

Recipients of the Padma Shri in civil service Indian Administrative Service officers Year of birth missing (living people) Municipal commissioners of India Government of Surat Living people {{India-bio-stub

See also

References