Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao (4 August 1926 – 27 September 1997) was an Indian politician, social worker, and Gandhian from Andhra Pradesh, known for his contributions to Telugu language, culture, and rural development.

[1] Krishna Rao played a key role in organizing the first World Telugu Conference in 1975[2][3] and was widely respected for his social work, particularly for land distribution to the poor in Diviseema region.

Krishna Rao's political career began during the Quit India Movement, where he served as the president of the Avanigadda branch of the National Students Union.

Krishna Rao was instrumental in initiating the distribution of barren lands to the impoverished in Diviseema, a program that resulted in the allocation of 15,000 acres to the poor.

He later shifted his focus to local politics, serving as the vice-chairman of the Krishna Zilla Parishad from 1963 to 1969 and as president of the Avanigadda Panchayat Samithi in 1970.

He was also involved in relief efforts following the devastating 1977 Andhra Pradesh cyclone and was honoured with the Prabhakarji Memorial Award for his social work.