M A I N   N E W S

30 NRIs in Britain’s top 1,000 rich

London, April 23
NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal was today declared the wealthiest person in Britain and the seventh richest in the world while as many as 30 NRIs in the UK, including Lord Swraj Paul, had fortunes worth over $ 60 million each.

The combined wealth of top 1,000 rich people in the UK has soared by over $ 50 billion in a single year to $ 300.9 billion, ‘The Sunday Times Rich List 2006’ revealed.

While Mittal headed the list with a fortune worth $ 14.881 billion, the Hinduja brothers — Sri Chand and Gopi Chand, chairman and president, respectively, of the Hinduja Group — emerged as the seventh richest in Britain with a wealth of $ 3.6 billion.

Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football club, was the second richest with wealth worth $ 10.8 billion.

Lord Paul, NRI industrialist, is listed 145 with a fortune worth $ 465 million, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II, who is listed 192 with a wealth worth $ 300 million.

According to Philip Beresford, author of ‘The Sunday Times Rich List,’ the Caparo Group, headed by Lord Paul is looking to invest in the Indian economy. “It will be a case of coming home for the steel and industrial group’s Indian-born founder Swraj Paul, 75, who moved to England 40 years ago,” he said.

Mittal is the third richest in Europe next only to Karl and Theo Albrecht (Germany, supermarkets, $ 18.4 billion) and Ingvar Kamprad (Sweden — retail $ 16 billion).

The Sunday Times also published a list of 50 richest in the world, including three Indians — Lakshmi Mittal (7th), Mukesh and Anil Ambani (30th, petrochemicals $ 8.2 billion) and Azim Premji (32nd, software, $ 7.6 billion).

Robson Walton (USA, retail) is the richest person in the world with a wealth worth $ 45.1 billion while Bill Gates (software — Microsoft) is second with a fortune of $ 28.6 billion.

Other prominent NRIs in the rich list in Britain are Anurag Dikshit (Internet Gambling, $ 1.704 billion), Anil Agarwal (mining $ 1.680 billion), the Jatania brothers (beauty products $ 850 million), Naresh Goyal (Airlines, $ 780 million) Vikrant Bhargava (Internet Gambling $ 592 million), Gulu Lalvani (consumer electronics $ 450 million), Bhikhu and Vijay Patel (Pharmaceuticals $ 444 million), Lord Bagri and family ($ 60 million), Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia ($ 100 million) and Sir Gulam Noon ($ 65 million).

Beresford said 55-year-old Mittal stunned the city in January with an audacious takeover bid for Arcelor, the world’s second biggest steel-maker after Mittal Steel. — PTI