India observed the 150th birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya on 2 August 2026, and the Prime Minister paid tribute to him.
Venkayya (1876–1963), born at Bhatlapenumarru in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district, was a freedom fighter, educationist, geologist and author who designed the first version of the Tiranga. He presented it to Mahatma Gandhi at the AICC session in Vijayawada in 1921. The Constituent Assembly adopted the present flag, with the Ashoka Chakra replacing the charkha, on 22 July 1947.