Vice President

Dr. G.B.K. Rao, an Engineer-turned-Environmentalist, is the Architect of Pragati Biodiversity Knowledge Park and the Founder Chairman of Pragati Group. He serves as Chairman of the Expert Committee on Agriculture and Food Processing for the Southern Region (Indian Chamber of Commerce) and Chairman of the Tourism, Hospitality, Media & Entertainment (MICE) Committee, Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He was born into an agricultural family in Repalle, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, which gave him deep insight into traditional farming practices. His early education at Yagashram near Kalhasti instilled in him strong foundations in Indian culture, devotion, meditation, and Vedic knowledge systems.

On 22nd April 2021, Dr. GBK Rao was honored by the World Book of Records, London, for identifying and preserving more than 650 varieties of sacred, herbal, and medicinal mother plants, along with planting over 40 lakh plants and trees in Pragati.

After earning his Engineering degree from Osmania University, he began his entrepreneurial journey. In 1980, he started MECH FAB Engineering Works at Pimpri near Pune, introducing first-of-its-kind technology approved by international agencies such as ZAX Counsel, PDI, Lloyds, Nagpur Explosives, and Bureau Veritas India, ensuring efficiency, operational excellence, and product standards.

In 1991, he established a Cobalt-Vanadium-based high-speed steel plant (Powmex Steels Ltd.) at Titlagarh, Orissa. Under his leadership, the company began exporting products while also catering to domestic consumption, transforming what was once a heavily import-oriented sector.

During this period, he adopted 15 villages, introducing education and skill development initiatives for rural youth in vegetable cultivation, modern agriculture, and household industries, significantly improving their living standards. The then Chief Minister of Orissa, Shri Biju Patnaik, appointed Dr. G.B.K. Rao as an Advisor to the Government of Orissa for Rural Skill Development.

Dr. G.B.K. Rao is a man who transforms the impossible into possible. Influenced by his rural childhood and Vedic schooling, he began thinking about the concepts of Healthy, Happy, and Joyful Living. He reflected deeply on the deteriorating Indian heritage, culture, and the roots of Vedic ways of living, along with the two major threats to life on Earth — Hunger and Pollution. His response to these challenges is reflected in the initiatives Vruksharaksha Rakshitaha and “Gow Samrakshana.”

For thousands of years, India has preserved the precious secrets of health and healing. Dr. G.B.K. Rao emphasizes that while the nucleus of an organization was born in 1994, its true mission is to restore India’s medical heritage to its rightful place as one of the world’s greatest healing systems. Through Pragati, he introduced the concept of “Vaidyaratnasamajam”, harnessing the healing power of plants. The sacred linkage between Bharatiya Samskruti and Sacred Vanamoolika has been firmly established at the Pragati Biodiversity Knowledge Park.

Pragati undertook the gigantic task of identifying rare sacred herbal and medicinal plants. These invaluable plants are grouped and planted based on scriptural importance. Sacred groves such as Navagrahavanam, Nakshatravanam, Rasivanam, Panchabhoota Vanam, Parijatavanam, Kadambavanam, Sugandhavanam, and Ganapathi 21 Patrika Vanam are cultivated to achieve the spiritual and ecological impact described in the Vedas. The natural aroma released by these plants purifies the body of toxins and helps create spaces free from harmful bacteria, viruses, and mosquitoes.

The crowning glory of Pragati came when the United Nations recommended replicating its rich experience. This recognition was declared by former Executive Secretaries at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, including Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias and Ahmed Djoghlaf, during the 11th Biodiversity Conference held in Hyderabad in 2012, attended by representatives from 195 countries.

Dr. G.B.K. Rao is regarded as an authority on matters relating to India’s environment, biodiversity, Vedic living, Rishi Samskruti, natural farming, sacred groves, biopharma, recycling, yoga, meditation, naturopathy, spa traditions, gardening, landscaping, and mosquito-free spaces through medicinal and herbal plants. The Chief Ministers of two Telugu states have recognized him as a role model. Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao, then Chief Minister of Telangana, publicly urged replication of Pragati across the state. His work at Pragati has earned him more than 300 State, National, and International awards.

On 28th October 2018, during the 25th Year Celebrations of Pragati Group, Dr. G.B.K. Rao launched the Amrutha Aharam Package. Registered members of this initiative receive accommodations, millets (Akshayaalu diet), yoga, meditation, nature walks, therapy sessions, and much more at Pragati Resorts. Dr. Sarala Khadar Valli, daughter of Dr. Khadar Valli, personally guides members in healthy living and nutrition. Every month-end and during the first week of the following month, a new batch of participants begins the Amrutha Aharam journey.

Dr. G.B.K. Rao’s creation, “Pragati,” stands as an unparalleled treasure of sacred herbal, medicinal, and aromatic plants. Its uniqueness lies in bringing together a vast collection of Vanamoolikas (herbal plants) in one place for research and conservation, preventing extinction. The pollution-free, oxygen-rich, and aromatic environment of Pragati Resorts, with more than 40,00,000 trees, along with diverse local and exotic fauna, makes it one of the rare ecological models in the world.

Recently, reflecting on RBI’s bank rate cut decisions, Dr. Rao stated that while rate cuts are welcome, the root cause of economic issues lies in environmental degradation. He emphasized that at least 2% of GDP should be invested in environmental preservation to ensure sustainable economic growth.

Dr. Rao has also launched the Amrutha Aharam program to create public awareness about healthy dietary habits, encouraging people to reduce rice and wheat consumption and adopt millets — the food of the future.

Dr. Rao’s Pragati Resorts has won more than 300 State, National, and International awards, including the prestigious recognition known as the “Oscars of Global Business.” His efforts have also been recognized by the United Nations.

He is a Board Member of the Asian PGPR Society and actively sponsors its national and international conferences. On 19th August 2019, he delivered a successful talk and presentation at the 6th Asian PGPR International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.