Patanjali Ayurved Co-Founder Acharya Balkrishna Makes It To The Forbes India Richest List

Patanjali Ayurved is growing at a breakneck speed, and this growth has put the company’s co-founder and Baba Ramdev’s aide Acharya Balkrishna among the wealthiest people in India.

He made it to the Forbes ‘100 Richest Indian List’, which was again topped by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani with a net worth of $22.7 billion.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ Dilip Shanghvi with a net worth of $16.9 billion remained at number two spot, while Hinduja brothers at net worth of $15.2 billion took the third spot.

The elite list saw the entry of Balkrishna with a net worth of $2.5 billion, thanks to his 97 per cent holding in the fast-growing consumer goods outfit.

According to reports, he owns at least 93 per cent stake in Patanjali Ayurved and heads 34 companies and three trusts associated with Ramdev and the Patanjali banner. Patanjali Ayurveda posted a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore for 2015-16 up from Rs 450 crore in 2012 — a rise of over 11 times in a matter of four years.

The richest list also saw the entry of six newcomers this year with eight people rejoining it.

The top 10:
1) Mukesh Ambani; $22.7 billion
2) Dilip Shanghvi; $16.9 billion
3) Hinduja brothers; $15.2 billion
4) Azim Premji; $15 billion
5) Pallonji Mistry; $13.9 billion
6) Lakshmi Mittal; $12.5 billion
7) Godrej family; $12.4 billion
8) Shiv Nadar; $11.4 billion
9) Kumar Birla; $8.8 billion
10) Cyrus Poonawalla, $8.6 billion