Punjab Minister for Education, Seva Singh Fekhawan, presented the award to Rao in the presence of the National Council of PRCI. Raj Chengappa, Editor-in-chief of The Tribune, was the chief guest.
Rao has served the PR field for over 25 years, being associated with the Syndicate Bank and the Aeronautical Development Agency among others. His Kannada translation of former president A P J Abdul Kalam’s autography “Wings of Fire” as “Agniya Rekkegalu” has seen more than 12 reprints.