Two women make it to Forbes' India 40 Rich list

Two women -- Savitri Jindal and Indu Jain -- have made it to the Forbes list of 40 richest Indians this year, even as more women are pipping the male bastion in the boardrooms and climbing the corporate ladder.     

Savitri Jindal, Chairperson of O P Jindal Group, is country's richest woman with a net worth of $ 2.9 bn and is ranked 12th, according to the latest US magazine Forbes' India Rich list.     

Bennett, Coleman & Co's Chairperson Indu Jain has also got a place among the 40 Indians Rich list and is at 17th position with a net worth of $1.8 bn.     

The list is led by Reliance Industries's Mukesh Ambani, whose net worth is $20.8 bn, followed by NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.     

Interestingly, the number of women in the 40 India Rich List has come down to two from three last year.

In 2007, environment management solutions maker Thermax's Anu Aga had been ranked at the 38th place, but this year she failed to grab a position in the list.     

However, the net worth of Savitri Jindal, who was ranked 11th in 2007, has nearly halved from $8.5 bn.     

The 72-year old chairperson of media powerhouse Indu Jain has maintained the 17th rank in the list this year even as her wealth has plunged from $4.4 bn a year-ago.     

BCCL Group's holdings include daily newspaper, the Times of India, television channels Times Now and Zoom. In June, the group has acquired UK's Virgin Radio for $105 mn, renaming it Absolute Radio.    

Further, the US magazine said that, "these are painful times for India's richest as the ongoing global turmoil drastically reshapes their fortunes."     

While, the Jindal Group in a bid to secure supplies for its steel plants acquired iron ore mines in Chile, Bolivia and has won oil-exploration blocks in Peru.