2016-02-29 Mon

Morarji Desai, the 4th Prime Minister of India (March 1977- June 1979) was born on 29th February 1896.

He was the first Prime Minister to head India's first non-Congress Government. He held many important posts in the Government of India such as: Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India. He presented a total of 10 budgets in his tenure.

In 1991 Morarji Desai was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’, he was also conferred with Pakistan's highest civilian award, ‘Nishan-e-Pakistan’, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 and remains the only Indian national to have been conferred that award.

In 1996 an INR 1 commemorative stamp was issued by the India Post and later on 28th February 1997 an INR 1 commemorative stamp was issued to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary.