Forbes India Rich list: Azim Premji drops from 2nd to 17th position after huge donation to charity
Forbes India Rich List 2019: Wipro founder and tech tycoon Azim Premji who gave a substantial portion of his fortune in March this year saw his net worth plunge to $7.2 billion from $21 billion last year.
- Oct 11, 2019,
- Updated Oct 11, 2019 2:36 PM IST
Wipro founder and tech tycoon Azim Premji has dropped to 17th spot from the second position on Forbes India Rich List after giving away a substantial portion of his fortune to charity. Premji saw his net worth plunge to $7.2 billion from $21 billion last year.
"In all, 14 were poorer by $1 billion or more, and nine members from last year's ranks dropped off. More than a third of that decline was due to the remarkable largesse of tech tycoon Azim Premji, who gave away a chunk of his fortune in March and consequently dropped in the ranks to No. 17 from No. 2," Forbes said.
ArcelorMittal chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal's net worth also plunged to $10.4 billion to ninth spot this year. The steel baron had bagged third place last year with a net worth of $18.3 billion. This steep decline came on account of falling steel prices and muted demand.
"Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, who has yet to complete the acquisition of bankrupt Essar Steel, took a $7.8 billion hit amid falling steel prices and weak demand," Forbes added.
Also Watch: Azim Premji: The business tycoon with a large heart
Business magnates in the auto and consumer goods space also saw a steep drop in their wealth. Autoparts maker Vivek Chaand Sehgal's net worth more than halved to $2.45 billion on account of weak consumer sentiment in the automobile industry.
This year spelled an 8% drop in the total wealth of business tycoons on the Forbes' 2019 list to $452 billion. It had been a "challenging year for the nation's wealthies" owing to the economic slowdown.
Meanwhile, the list also included six newcomers who made their debut this year comprising Byju Raveendran (no. 72, $1.91 billion), Manohar Lal and Madhusudan Agarwal (No. 86, $1.7 billion) of Delhi-headquartered Haldiram Snacks and Rajesh Mehra (no. 95, $1.5 billion) of Jaquar.
Also Watch: Mukesh Ambani is India's richest man; Azim Premji comes in second
Wipro founder and tech tycoon Azim Premji has dropped to 17th spot from the second position on Forbes India Rich List after giving away a substantial portion of his fortune to charity. Premji saw his net worth plunge to $7.2 billion from $21 billion last year.
"In all, 14 were poorer by $1 billion or more, and nine members from last year's ranks dropped off. More than a third of that decline was due to the remarkable largesse of tech tycoon Azim Premji, who gave away a chunk of his fortune in March and consequently dropped in the ranks to No. 17 from No. 2," Forbes said.
ArcelorMittal chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal's net worth also plunged to $10.4 billion to ninth spot this year. The steel baron had bagged third place last year with a net worth of $18.3 billion. This steep decline came on account of falling steel prices and muted demand.
"Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, who has yet to complete the acquisition of bankrupt Essar Steel, took a $7.8 billion hit amid falling steel prices and weak demand," Forbes added.
Also Watch: Azim Premji: The business tycoon with a large heart
Business magnates in the auto and consumer goods space also saw a steep drop in their wealth. Autoparts maker Vivek Chaand Sehgal's net worth more than halved to $2.45 billion on account of weak consumer sentiment in the automobile industry.
This year spelled an 8% drop in the total wealth of business tycoons on the Forbes' 2019 list to $452 billion. It had been a "challenging year for the nation's wealthies" owing to the economic slowdown.
Meanwhile, the list also included six newcomers who made their debut this year comprising Byju Raveendran (no. 72, $1.91 billion), Manohar Lal and Madhusudan Agarwal (No. 86, $1.7 billion) of Delhi-headquartered Haldiram Snacks and Rajesh Mehra (no. 95, $1.5 billion) of Jaquar.
Also Watch: Mukesh Ambani is India's richest man; Azim Premji comes in second