Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid respect to the 'great visionary' Nanaji Deshmukh on his 105th birth anniversary and said that Deshmukh dedicated his life to rural development.

Sharing a speech he delivered in 2017 at the birth centenary celebration of Nanaji Deshmukh at IARI in New Delhi, PM Modi said, "Pranams to the great visionary, Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh on his Jayanti. He dedicated himself towards the development of our villages and empowering the industrious farmers."In 2017, PM Modi had laid out the Centre's comprehensive plans towards the development of rural India and mentioned a number of pointers towards achieving the goal of doubling the income of the farmers by 2022.Born on October 11 in 1916 in the small town of Hingoli in Maharashtra, Deshmukh represented Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur constituency in the Lok Sabha from 1977 to 1979. From 1999 to 2005, he also served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.One of the founding members of Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Deshmukh established a chain of RSS-inspired schools throughout India.

He was associated with the RSS till his death at the age of 94 in 2010.The veteran also played a key role in the Jai Prakash (JP) movement against Emergency in 1974 and was instrumental in the formation of the Janata Party government in 1977.The social activist was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 and was posthumously honoured with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, by President Ram Nath Kovind in 2019.PM Modi also paid tribute to 'Loknayak' Jayaprakash Narayan today on his 119th birth anniversary and said that he had a remarkable personality that "left an indelible mark on India's history."

"Tributes to Loknayak JP on his Jayanti. He was a remarkable personality, who left an indelible mark on India's history. He devoted himself to public welfare initiatives and was at the forefront of protecting India's democratic ethos. We are deeply inspired by his ideals," the Prime Minister tweeted. (ANI)