Philanthropist Dr D. Veerendra Heggade on Thursday took oath as a Rajya Sabha Member.
On July 6, the government announced his nomination for the Upper House, together with that of the filmmaker K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, the athlete P.T. Usha, and the musician Ilaiyaraaja.
Since the young age of 20, Heggade has held the position of Dharmadhikari at the Dharmasthala Temple in Karnataka.
He has dedicated his life to philanthropy for more than 50 years. He has served as the leader of several revolutionary programs to advance entrepreneurship and rural development. To educate rural youth about self-employment options and give training, he founded the Rural Development and Self-Employment Training Institute (RDSETI).
The Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, a project for inclusive rural development and self-employment in Karnataka, was similarly conceptualized by Heggade.
The initiative currently has more than 6 lakh SHGs and more than 49 lakh members. Additionally, he is the chairman of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Educational Trust, which manages more than 25 schools and institutions and offers an excellent education at a reasonable cost.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
(with inputs from IANS)