R. Venkataraman passes away

The former president passed away today (27.01.2009). He was 98. Mr. Venkataraman, who was elevated from Vice-Presidency, assumed the office of the President on July 25, 1987 and his term lasted till July 25, 1992. Earlier, as Minister in the Union Cabinet, he held the key portfolios of Defence and Finance. He was also Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. Mr. Venkataraman was a member of the constituent assembly that drafted the Constitution. 

Mr. Venkataraman was a true patriot who served with distinction in various capacities in public life and rose to occupy the highest office of the nation. Mr. Ansari said Mr. Venkataraman “left a distinct mark in society and in the polity with his innate simplicity, vast erudition and experience and deep sensitivity for the poor and the deprived.”