The state government appointed Bharatavani project consultant Beluru Sudarshan as Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's advisor for e-governance on Friday. Sudarshan will have the rank of a minister of state. 

Sudarshan is currently associated with Bharatavani - a multi-lingual knowledge portal incubated at the Central Institute of Indian Languages. The project involves producing digital learning content in local Indian languages. 

He is expected to take charge next week and will advise the chief minister on various e-governance initiatives of the state government, sources said.

Sudarshan, who began his career as a journalist, was a member of the regional censor board from 2001-03 and chaired the board of studies (information technology), distance education programme at Kannada University between 2007-08.