Latur district (Marathi: लातूर जिल्हा) is a district in Maharashtra state of India. Latur city is the district headquarters.It is the 16th largest city in the state of Maharashtra. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 2,080,285. Urban population comprises 20.08% of the total population [1]. The current population of Latur urban agglomerate is over 4 lacs.

Latur has an ancient history, which probably dates to the Rashtrakuta period. It was home to a branch of Rashtrakutas which ruled the Deccan from year 753-973AD.The first Rashtrakuta king Dantidurga was from Lattalur (Kannada: ಲಟ್ಟಲೂರು), probably the ancient name for Latur. Anecdotally, Ratnapur is also mentioned as a name for Latur.

The King Amoghavarsha of Rashtrakutas developed the Latur city, originally the native place of the Rashtrakutas. The Rashtrakutas who succeeded the Chalukyas of Badami in 753 A.D called themselves the residents of Lattalut.

It was, over the centuries, variously ruled by the Satavahanas, the Sakas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri, the Delhi Sultans, the Bahamani rulers of South India, Adilshahi, and the Mughals.

Latur is a "small town" in Maharashtra state of India. It is known for its administration, food-grain trade and oil mills.

Latur has an ancient history, which probably dates to the Rashtrakuta period. It was home to a branch of Rashtrakutas which ruled the Deccan from year 753-973AD. The first Rashtrakuta king Dantidurga was from Lattalur (Kannada: ಲಟ್ಟಲೂರು), probably the ancient name for Latur. Anecdotally, Ratnapur is also mentioned as a name for Latur.

The King Amoghavarsha of Rashtrakutas developed the Latur city, originally the native place of the Rashtrakutas. The Rashtrakutas who succeeded the Chalukyas of Badami in 753 AD called themselves the residents of Lattalut.

It was, over the centuries, variously ruled by the Satavahanas, the Sakas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri, the Delhi Sultans, the Bahamani rulers of South India, Adilshahi, and the Mughals.

Later in the 19th century it became part of the independent princely state of Hyderabad. In 1905 it was merged with surrounding areas and renamed Latur tehsil, and became part of Osmanabad district. Before 1948, Latur was a part of Hyderabad state under Nizam. The chief of Nizam's Razakar army Qasim Rizwi was from Latur.

Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh (born May 26, 1945), popularly known as Vilasrao is the current Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj, Government of India and Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India. He is member of Rajya Sabha representing Maharashtra. He was also a two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra, from 1999 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2008. He is a member of the Indian National Congress and originally belongs to Latur district in the Marathwada region of the state of Maharashtra.

Deshmukh was born on May 26, 1945 in Babhalgaon in the Latur district. He graduated with a degree in Science (B.Sc.) and Arts (B.A.) from M.E.S Abasaheb Garware College, (Pune University) and went on to study law (L.L.B.) from the ILS Law College (Pune University). He started social activities in his early youth with particular interest in drought relief work. He was elected as the Director of the Osmanabad district Central Cooperative Bank and also of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank in 1979.

Moodbidri Veerappa Moily (Kannada: ಮೂಡಬಿದ್ರಿ ವೀರಪ್ಪ ಮೊಯ್ಲಿ) (born January 12, 1940) is the current Minister of Corporate Affairs in the Indian government. Moily was elected as MP of the Chickballapur district by a wide margin in 2009. He currently serves as the All India Congress Committee General Secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh. He is one of the senior members of the Congress Party and is a close adviser for the Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi. Moily is a former Chief Minister of the Indian state of Karnataka (19 Nov 1992 - 11 Dec 1994). He was elected to Karnataka state legislative assembly from Karkala constituency of Udupi district. He was first ethnic Tuluva Chief Minister of Karnataka state.

Veerappa Moily was born in Marpadi Village, Moodbidri, Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka. He belong to Devadiga community. He did his B.A. from Government College (now known as University College) situated at Hampankatta in Mangalore city. He completed his B.L. from University Law College, Bengaluru.