B. V. Rao

Banda Vasudev Rao (1935–1996) was an Indian entrepreneur and agriculturalist considered by many as the father of poultry industry in India. He founded the V H Group, an Indian conglomerate group in 1971. He was also the founder chairman of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) and was a 2004 inductee of the International Poultry Hall of Fame of the World Poultry Science Association. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 1990. When he died, the combined fortune of his family was $325 million (₹1300 crore). His company directly employed around 5000 employees by 1996.