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Gautam Adani Tops Forbes India Rich List as Wealth Surges to $116 Billion

  • 10 Oct 2024 05:30 AM
  • GautamAdani, ForbesIndia

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, has made headlines by emerging as the biggest dollar gainer on the Forbes India 100 richest tycoons list, with his family's net worth soaring to $116 billion. This remarkable increase of $48 billion has allowed Adani to reclaim the second position on the list, reflecting a strong recovery from last year's short-selling attack, resulting in a staggering 71 percent rise in wealth.

In a closely contested race, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani saw his wealth grow by $27.5 billion, reaching a total net worth of $119.5 billion, marking a 30 percent increase. Ambani's rise comes amid Reliance's announcement of a bonus share issue as a Diwali gift to investors.

This year marks a record-breaking milestone, with the collective wealth of India's 100 richest surpassing the trillion-dollar mark for the first time. Over 80 percent of these tycoons have seen their fortunes increase, with 58 individuals adding $1 billion or more to their net worths. The top five alone gained nearly $120 billion collectively, and the top 12 members account for approximately half of the total wealth.

Savitri Jindal, the matriarch of OP Jindal Group, has ascended to the third spot, becoming India's richest woman for the first time. Newcomers to the list include Mahima Datla of Biological E, B Partha Saradhi Reddy of Hetero Labs, and Harish Ahuja of Shahi Exports, showcasing a diverse range of industries from pharmaceuticals to apparel.

Other notable movements include Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceutical, whose wealth reached $32.4 billion, and the Mehta siblings of Torrent Group, who doubled their wealth to $16.3 billion.

The real estate sector also saw significant gains, with families like the Razacks of Prestige Estates making notable strides amid the booming property market. The Godrej family now appears separately for the first time following a division of their holdings.

The youngest member on the list is 38-year-old Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of discount brokerage Zerodha, highlighting the new generation's impact on India's wealth landscape.