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7 new Indian faces in Forbes rich list
By agencies
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Friday, 16 December 2005, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Seven newcomers have joined the ranks of seasoned veterans in Forbes Asia's second annual list of the 40 richest Indians this year while the number of billionaires have doubled to 26 this year.
Worlds largest steel maker Laxmi Mittal retained his position as the richest Indian worldwide with an estimated wealth of $20 billion. Wipro chairman Azim Premji, with an estimated wealth of $11 billion, is second on the list.
The list has swelled this time despite the fact that the qualification bar was set higher and one had to earn at least $590 million to make the cut against $305 million last year.
The magazine, in a message to China about the Indians' potential, said the collective net worth of the 40 richest Indians stood at $106 billion against a total of $26 billion earned by China's rich 40.
Mukesh Ambani, 48, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd was ranked third on the list with an estimated wealth of $7 billion, Forbes said.
Anil Ambani, 46, who heads Anil Dhirbhai Ambani Enterprises, which includes Reliance Infocomm Ltd, Reliance Energy Ltd and Reliance Capital Ltd, is the country's fourth richest with an estimated wealth of $5.5 billion.
The Forbes list has seven newcomers including Naresh Goyal, 56, who owns Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the nation's biggest domestic airline, with an estimated wealth of $1.9 billion.
India born Anurag Dikshit and Vikrant Bhargava, who set up the world's largest online poker operator PartyGaming Plc, which went public last year have also made it to the list.
Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd, has been ranked the sixth richest Indian with an estimated wealth of $4.9 billion.
Former army officer turned property baron, DLF Groups Kushal Pal Singh, 74, with $5 billion, found himself in the 5th position, ahead of Sunil Mittal. He had joined his father-in-law's Delhi Land & Finance in 1971 and was instrumental in building Gurgaon.
Kumar Managalam Birla with a fortune of $4.4 billion was in the sixth position, followed by Pune based Tulsi Tanti ($3.7 billion), Pallonji Mistry ($3 billion), Anurag Dikshit ($3.1 billion) and Bhargava's wealth is estimated at $870 million.