M Veerappa Moily is Congress' prominent backward community leader from Karnataka making his way into the central ministry with considerable administrative experience acquired during his stint as the chief minister of Karnataka.

Moily, 69, has been instrumental in spreading the benefits of OBC reservation in Karnataka as also the rest of the country. He was the chairman of the Oversight Committee for implementation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in central educational institutes in 2006.

As a loyal Congressman, he has been the chairman of the party's media department, chairman of the department of policy planning and coordination and Congress Working Committee member in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

Moily is a multifaceted personality -- a lawyer, a writer, a politician and one deeply involved in the study of good governance.

Moily recently completed his work as chairman of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission and brought out voluminous reports that could do any academic and public administrator proud.

His task as head of ARC has been a crucial one and his reports, especially the one on terrorism, was hailed by none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had suggested that government would follow the report in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.  

He is also considered the chief architect of the new common entrance test system, an admission policy for technical education founded on merit, transparency and social justice.