Dr Alluri Venkata Satyanarayana Raju, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) Limited and a Padma Shri awardee of 2010, passed away in Hyderabad on 13 October 2026 at the age of 89. A pioneering entrepreneur, poet and philanthropist, he began his business journey in 1956 and built NCC into one of India’s largest listed construction and infrastructure companies. His life traced the arc of independent India’s infrastructure story, from small construction contracts to national landmarks such as the National War Memorial in Delhi and Nalanda University in Bihar.
Who Was Dr AVS Raju?
Dr Alluri Venkata Satyanarayana Raju, popularly known as Dr AVS Raju, was an Indian industrialist who founded Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) Limited in 1978. He served as the company’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus and received the Padma Shri in 2010 for his contributions to trade and industry.
Raju was born on 18 April 1937 in Antarvedipalem, a village in the erstwhile East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh (the area now falls in Dr B.R. Ambedkar district). He came from a family that had been involved in construction for three generations. After finishing school, he left his village at the age of 18 and moved to Hyderabad to build a career.
His business journey began in 1956 across agriculture, construction and industry. Before NCC became the centrepiece of his life’s work, he helped promote several other ventures in Hyderabad. He was one of the promoters of Nagarjuna Steels Ltd. in 1975, of Deccan Cements Ltd. in 1983, and of AVS Containers Ltd. in 1983.
Steel, cement and containers gave him a foothold in the building materials economy. Construction was the natural next step, and it became the enterprise that defined his legacy.
How NCC Grew From a Partnership Firm Into a Listed Giant
What began as a partnership firm in 1978 was converted into a public limited company in 1990 and listed on the BSE and NSE in 1992. Over nearly five decades, NCC became one of India’s biggest construction and infrastructure companies and a familiar name on the stock exchanges.
NCC Limited at a Glance
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | NCC Limited (formerly Nagarjuna Construction Company Limited) |
| Founded | 1978, as a partnership firm |
| Founder | Dr AVS Raju |
| Converted to public limited company | 1990 |
| Listed on stock exchanges | 1992 (BSE and NSE) |
| Headquarters | NCC House, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Position in market | Among the largest listed construction companies in India |
| Consolidated revenue (FY 2025-26) | ₹20,823 crore |
| Consolidated order book (as on 31 March 2026) | ₹83,004 crore |
What Does NCC Limited Do?
NCC works mainly through Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, in which a single firm designs and builds a project from start to finish for a client. The company’s work is spread across several infrastructure verticals.
- Buildings: hospitals, medical colleges, airports, stadiums, housing, IT parks and commercial complexes
- Transportation: expressways, highways, metro rail, bridges, flyovers and tunnels
- Water and environment: water supply systems, treatment plants, drainage networks and sewage treatment plants
- Electrical (transmission and distribution): sub-stations and transmission lines
- Irrigation, railways and mining: irrigation schemes, railway works and coal mining operations
The company’s reach is national, with regional offices in cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and Patna, alongside its Hyderabad headquarters. It also has a presence in the Middle East through subsidiaries in Muscat and Dubai.
Landmark Projects Delivered by NCC
NCC’s project list reads like a map of modern India. Some of its most notable works include the following.
| Project | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|
| National War Memorial | Delhi | Four concentric circles, with the names of 25,942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters |
| Nalanda University campus | Rajgir, Bihar | Academic and administrative buildings for the revived university |
| Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport terminal | Agartala, Tripura | Built under a public-private partnership model |
| AIIMS campuses | Guwahati, Bilaspur, Bathinda, Awantipora | Hospitals and medical colleges |
| Nagpur Metro | Maharashtra | Guinness World Record for the longest double-decker viaduct, about 3.14 km on Wardha Road |
| International cricket stadiums | Hyderabad and Lucknow | Major sports infrastructure |
| Samruddhi Expressway | Maharashtra | Access-controlled highway work |
The scale of this body of work explains why NCC is often described as a builder of the physical backbone of a rising India.
The Padma Shri 2010 and India’s Civilian Awards Hierarchy
The Padma Shri is India’s fourth-highest civilian award, given for distinguished service in any field. Dr AVS Raju received it in 2010 in the trade and industry category, in recognition of a career spent building national infrastructure.
The Padma awards were instituted in 1954 and are announced every year on Republic Day. The President of India confers them at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually around March or April. They are given across many fields, including art, literature and education, medicine, science and engineering, social work, public affairs, sports, civil service, and trade and industry.
There are three Padma awards, which sit below the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour.
| Award | Meaning | Rank among civilian honours |
|---|---|---|
| Bharat Ratna | Highest civilian award | 1 |
| Padma Vibhushan | Exceptional and distinguished service | 2 |
| Padma Bhushan | Distinguished service of a high order | 3 |
| Padma Shri | Distinguished service in any field | 4 |
In the 2010 list, the government announced a total of 130 awards, made up of 6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 Padma Shri honours. A few of these went to foreigners, NRIs and People of Indian Origin.
For Raju, the Padma Shri was not his only recognition. A separate chapter of his life, away from balance sheets and construction sites, earned him a place in the record books.
The Poet and Philanthropist Behind the Builder
Dr AVS Raju was a prolific poet with deep devotion to Sri Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi. Despite his business workload, he wrote more than 25,000 poems on a wide range of subjects. Of these, over 24,000 verses were dedicated to Sri Sathya Sai Baba across 42 volumes.
This literary feat earned him a place in the Guinness World Records in 2008 for the largest single-volume book of poems on Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He was also noted for penning the largest biography in the Telugu language, and his name appeared in the Limca Book of Records for several consecutive years. The Government of Andhra Pradesh honoured him with the Ugadi Puraskar in 1998.
His contribution to education was recognised in 2008, when Acharya Nagarjuna University conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree for the advancement of learning and the promotion of human values.
Raju’s philanthropy was organised through the NCC Foundation, which supports education, healthcare and skill development for the underprivileged. His social work also extended to environmental protection and rural development. As a champion of social forestry, he led a drive to plant about two lakh trees.
Chairman Emeritus: What the Title Means
A Chairman Emeritus is an honorary title given to a former chairman who has stepped back from day-to-day management and board responsibilities. The person no longer holds executive powers, but retains an advisory and symbolic role in the organisation.
For NCC, Dr AVS Raju held this title after handing over the leadership of the company to the next generation. The Managing Director of NCC is A A V Ranga Raju (as of October 2026), Raju’s son, who oversees the company’s growth plans. The position of Chairman of the Board is held by Rajender Mohan Malla, an independent director, who was elected to the role with effect from 24 May 2026.
Other members of the founding family continue to serve on the board as whole-time directors, including A G K Raju, A S N Raju, J V Ranga Raju and A V N Raju. This continuity reflects the family-led structure that has guided the company since its founding.
Tributes and the Legacy He Leaves Behind
The board of directors, management and employees of NCC condoled Raju’s death, describing him as a pioneering entrepreneur, visionary leader, poet and philanthropist whose contributions left a lasting mark on India’s infrastructure landscape. The company noted that his belief in integrity, commitment, quality and trust remains central to its working culture.
Political leaders across party lines paid tribute. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said Raju’s journey from a small coastal village to the leadership of a major infrastructure firm was inspiring, and praised his honest and committed service to nation-building. Minister Nara Lokesh recalled his work in creating jobs and his literary achievements. Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy described the passing as an irreparable loss to the construction sector and acknowledged his contribution to building a nationally recognised company.
Dr AVS Raju’s legacy is visible across the country. It stands in the memorials, metro lines, airports, hospitals and campuses his company built. It also lives on through the NCC Foundation’s work in education and health. For a man who left his village at 18 with little more than determination, that is a remarkable footprint to leave behind.
Key Takeaways
- Dr Alluri Venkata Satyanarayana Raju, founder and Chairman Emeritus of NCC Limited, passed away in Hyderabad on 13 October 2026 at the age of 89.
- Raju, born on 18 April 1937 in Antarvedipalem, Andhra Pradesh, founded Nagarjuna Construction Company in 1978; it became a public limited company in 1990 and was listed on the BSE and NSE in 1992.
- He received the Padma Shri in 2010 in the trade and industry category; the Padma awards were instituted in 1954 and are announced on Republic Day every year.
- NCC is headquartered at NCC House, Madhapur, Hyderabad, and is among India’s largest listed construction companies, with a consolidated order book of ₹83,004 crore (as on 31 March 2026).
- NCC built landmark projects including the National War Memorial in Delhi and the Nalanda University campus in Bihar, and holds a Guinness World Record for the longest double-decker viaduct, about 3.14 km, on the Nagpur Metro project.
- Raju was a prolific poet who wrote over 25,000 poems and earned a place in the Guinness World Records in 2008 for the largest single-volume book of poems on Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
