.......................................................................................Government

 Vilasrao Deshmukh 

Maharashtra's debonair Chief Minister

Vilasrao Deshmukh has come a long way from Babhalgaon in Latur district of Maharashtra to head the nation's most industrialised and progressive state. Maharashtra's 55-year-old Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's socio-political career spans over 30 years of eventful work, which has seen him rising from a sarpanch of Babhalgaon to heading the political executive of India's financial heart on October 18, 1999. Deshmukh is known for being a man of the soil and from his college days has always taken a keen interest in the economic welfare of farmers in the state. Deshmukh is a grassroots political worker who has a thorough knowledge of the agrarian economy and the cooperation movement. This has helped him in building a strong political base in the state.

One of India's most debonair and sophisticated chief ministers, Deshmukh belongs to a family which has been in the sugar mill co-operative movement and also owns sugar mills in Latur. He is not only a graduate in science and arts but also holds a degree in law.

Speaking to Mumbaibest, Deshmukh said, "During my college days, I was actively involved in rehabilitation work in drought-hit areas of Marathwada. I always took a keen interest in drought relief work and rendered assistance to farmers in these areas. I entered active politics and became a member of the Osmanabad Zilla Parishad and Deputy Chairman of Latur Taluka Panchayat Samiti in 1974 and continued to hold these posts till 1980. In 1979, I was elected Director of Osmanabad District Central Co-operative Bank and was also on the Board of Directors of Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank. As President of the Osmanabad District Youth Congress from 1975 to 1978, I worked for the successful implementation of the 5-point programme of the Youth Congress. I made special efforts to organise the youth in Osmanabad district and became president of the Taluka Indian National Congress."

Deshmukh was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1980 and was defeated only in the 1995 polls when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance triumped over the Congress in the state. Deshmukh has had varied experience as minister of state and state cabinet rank minister in departments like Home, General Administration, Revenue, Cooperation, Public Works, Transport, Legislative Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Fisheries, Industry, Rural Development, Education and Technical Education, Sports and Youth Affairs.

He has even had international exposure in the cooperative movement and in agriculture development and has visited Japan, Thailand, Phillipines, Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1980, to study these fields. Subsequently, in 1981, he had also visited the then West Germany, France, England, and the United States of America. "I visited all these foreign nations within a year of being elected to the state legislative assembly. These study tours gave me tremendous exposure regarding the work of the cooperative movement and rural development in foreign countries,'' said Deshmukh.

"Between April 1995 and October 17, 1999, I kept myself engaged in the expansion of my dream project - Manjra Co-operative Sugar Mill, in Latur. My efforts helped in the mill being computerised and connected to a well-equipped wireless system. Manjra Mill has been a prestigious project. It established a world record in 1994-1995 and 1997-1998 by crushing the highest quantity of sugarcane. It has collectively bagged 34 awards at the national and international level for excellence in production and management. I also firmly believe that education is the key to progress and therefore I have founded the Manjra Charitable Trust which is doing commendable work. The trust runs 3 colleges in Latur and the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology at Airoli in Navi Mumbai," he further added .

The question is, does Deshmukh have the time for nurturing hobbies and if he does, what are his hobbies? "Yes, of course. My hobbies include reading, listening to classical music, playing volleyball and table tennis. Though now I do not have the time to play volleyball and table tennis, I am an ardent follower of these games. I excelled in these two games in my school and college days. Whenever I manage to steal time from my busy work schedule, I listen to classical music to soothe my nerves, late in the evening. I am also religious and along with my wife, visit the Vithoba Temple at Pandharpur in Solapur district of Maharashtra,'' says Deshmukh.

By: Mani D'Mello
Photographs: Vinayak Prabhu and Uma Kadam