He was awarded the Padma Shri by the then president on the occasion of India's Commonwealth Day in 2014 for the provision of education and blood donation for the poor and orphaned children living in various slums in Cuttack.

His wife, Vijayalakshmi works as a nurse at Sri Ramchandra Bhanj College of Medicine.

He started the school after seeing young children in local slums deprived of education and abstaining from alcohol and petty crimes.

[5] He spent half of his income from the tea shop on running the school.

[7] Rao died on 13 January 2021, while undergoing treatment at the Cuttack General Hospital.