The 103rd birth anniversary of TDP founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao was observed across Tirupati district on Thursday with zeal and fervour in the scores of institutions founded and nurtured by him.

The TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) hospital, considered a brain child of NTR to provide super specialty treatment to the poor at affordable charges, observed ‘NTR Jayanti’ in a grand manner, where its Director and Vice-Chancellor Dr. R.V. Kumar garlanded the former Chief Minister’s statue installed on the campus.

Dr. Kumar recalled that it was way back in 1986 that NTR had laid the foundation stone for SVIMS. The present Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, during his earlier stint in 2001, furthered the initiative by launching Sri Venkateswara Pranadana Trust to mobilise funds for the poor patients requiring costly surgeries.

“As many as 30,000 patients have availed free surgeries under Pranadanam with funds upward of ₹150 crore donated by philanthropists,” Dr. Kumar said.

Similarly, SVIMS also reaped benefits by procuring costly and advanced medical and diagnostic equipment with the funds mobilised under another TTD initiative, the ‘Sri Balaji Arogya Varaprasadini’ scheme.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sivashankar, Registrar Dr. Aparna Bitla, Medical Superintendent Dr. Ram also took part.

Meanwhile, Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV), another institute founded by NTR for ensuring women’s empowerment through education, also observed the day with Vice-Chancellor Uma Vennam garlanding NTR’s statue at their campus, along with Registrar R. Usha. They paid rich tributes, stating that NTR’s ideals, services and legacy would remain forever.