Veerendra Heggade

Renowned philanthropist D Veerendra Heggade took oath as a new member of the Rajya Sabha, on July 21. He is also the administrator of the Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district. Besides Heggade, legendary music composer Ilayaraja, athlete PT Usha and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad also sworn in as new Rajya Sabha members. Notably, Heggade was honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2015.