Shri Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, a visionary leader has multifarious achievements to his credit.  He established first ever college imparting undergraduate courses in naturopathy and yoga in 1989 which is now offering PG courses for the first time in the country.  800 qualified doctors of naturopathy have been produced by the college so far.  He established two naturopathy hospitals with 300 beds and 200 beds.  He is conducting yoga training camps regularly in various places in Karnataka benefitting lakhs of people.  Colleges of Ayurveda in Udipi and Hasan, started by him and offering UG, PG and Ph.D programmes are acclaimed as colleges of excellence.

Pursuing his goal of comprehensive healthcare, he started 4½ years Bachelor’s course of physiotherapy and nursing, 2 years master course and doctorate programme, a 650 bed allopathic hospital at Dharwad with 11 operation theatres and other modern facilities, a Dental College, an eye hospital and is also running free mobile hospital with minor operation theatre and lab offering free treatment to numerous patients daily at their doorsteps.

Janajagruthi a mass movement forum against alcoholism promoted by him conducts scientific de-addiction camps at the community level, to de-addict chronic alcoholics. Janajagruthi forum has so far conducted 406 de-addiction camps de-addicting 32,000 addicts.

Apart from his outstanding contribution in the field of Healthcare, Shri Veerendra Heggade is undertaking rural development works on a very large scale. He has promoted 1,18,200 Self Help Groups empowering 1.4 million families.

‘Jindal Prize – 2011’ for ‘Health – Including drugless healing’ with a cash prize of Rs. 1 Crore is awarded to Shri Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade for his exceptional contribution in the field of Naturopathy.