Richie Rich in India

In spite of concerns over infrastructural bottlenecks notwithstanding, Indian business tycoons continue to build upon their sizeable cash piles, with a record 69 billionaires featuring in Forbes India’s Rich List for 2010. “Amid further disenchantment with national infrastructure undertakings, such as the botched preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Indian tycoons continue to flourish, sometimes off those same public projects,” Forbes said. Though the fortunes of both Mukesh Ambani and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal have dipped in comparison to the previous year, they still retain the top two positions, with Mukesh Ambani holding on to his numero uno rank for the third straight year. Infotech tycoon Azim Premji has moved up to third place, displacing younger Ambani sibling Anil Ambani, who “despite making peace with his brother”, has dropped to the sixth position.