R.V. Deshpande

Raghunath Vishwanath Deshpande is a politician who was the Minister of Industries in Karnataka Government. He was born on 16-03-1947 to Vishwanath Rao and Vimala Bai in Haliyala, Uttarkannada District. After completing B.A., L.L.B. he began his political career as the President of the Karnataka Co-operative Agriculture & Rural Development Bank.

Career
An eight-term MLA, Deshpande started his political career in the Janata Party before joining the Indian National Congress in 1999. He served as Industries minister for 13 years (1994-2004, 2015-18). During his tenure as a Minister of Medium and Heavy Industries, he is known for Industrial development of Karnataka. During his stint in Higher Education and Tourism Ministry, he had taken several initiatives for the development of education and tourism in Karnataka. A new draft called the Tourism Trade Facilitation Act was prepared to ensure the safety of tourists coming to the state. He was instrumental in establishing Indian Institute of Information in Karnataka.

Honour
Deshpande was honoured with Vidyadhiraj Puraskar, Kanara Ratna and Rotary Award.